Back Home Again
by Natchez
Summary: Luke has been alone for a long time. Will he finally find someone close to home?
1. Chapter 1: Wheels Down

**Author's Note:** _This is my first "Dukes" fanfic, but I was a Hazzardite during the show's first run. Shows my age. Oh well. This takes place after the reunion show in 1997, when Luke was a smoke jumper, probably about 2003. His age doesn't exactly correspond to Tom Wopat's age, but hey, this is fan FICTION, after all. LOL. Reviews are more than welcome. _

_I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard," in spite of the time I invested in the show between 1979 and 1982 or so. :)_

Luke's been alone a long time. Will he find love after looking in a lot of wrong places?

**Chapter One: Wheels Down**

"Hi there, Rose?"

"Hey, Daisy! What's going on?" Rose Turney recognized Daisy Strate's voice immediately.

"Well, Luke's coming home today. Enos is with the young'uns, but you know how I hate driving in Atlanta, and you've been to that airport a million times. Would you go with me? We can take my car if you'll drive!"

"Sure, I'll come with you!"

"Are you positive you're not busy working on a story or something?"

"It's Saturday. I'm finished for the week. I'd love to come with you. It's been ages since I've seen Luke, anyway," she answered."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! You're such a lifesaver!" Even after marriage and three children, Daisy still gushed. Rose grinned.

"You're more than welcome. What time are you leaving?"

"How about in twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good."

The women were on their way to the Atlanta airport in Daisy's van. You know she was in love if she gave up that Jeep for a mommy van. Didn't mean she didn't drive the Jeep now and then, but family trips required the van or Enos' SUV. Daisy was still a striking woman and three children hadn't ruined her figure. She still wore her hair in loose curls, refusing a more practical "mommy 'do."

"Luke's coming home for good," Daisy said.

Rose glanced at her, incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. And as far as I know, he's not seeing anyone."

"I didn't ask," Rose answered, a little testily.

Daisy snickered. "No, but you'd have gotten around to it. You've carried a torch for that cousin of mine all these years, haven't you?"

Rose sighed. "Well, yes I have. But do you think he's finally going to notice I'm a grown woman and not a little girl in pigtails anymore?"

Daisy laughed even harder. "I guarantee he will. But why didn't you hogtie Bo when you had the chance? I was hoping it would work out when you two were dating. Bo needs a sweet, stable woman in his life."

"Bo Duke and me? No way. I love him to pieces but there's no way I could live with him. He needs a woman with a lot of patience and who doesn't care about that roving eye of his. I swear, he'll be chasing skirts when he's 80!"

Daisy Duke Strate howled with laughter. "You are so right! He just needs to marry a woman who's willing to take a rolling pin upside his head when he does it."

"Yeah, someone who can keep his attention. Unless he's working on a car, or driving one, Bo is the ADD poster child."

Daisy shook her head. "That's it. We just didn't know about ADD when Bo was in first grade. Mrs. Holley just had to use a switch to keep him in line. Always worked pretty well, though."

"Especially when Uncle Jesse backed it up with a belt when he got home," Rose replied.

"I know it. The only thing that's ever worked with Bo is busting his tail for his sins. Maybe we need to call one of those Hollywood women. Domina-what you call 'ems?"

"Dominatrix?" Rose said. "Hmm. Now there's a thought. Can't you imagine some woman in high heels having Bo trussed like a turkey and calling her 'mistress'? Boggles the imagination. Funny as all get-out, though."

"It sure is," Daisy agreed.

* * *

"Daisy, you owe me lunch for this," Rose said as they finally found a parking space on the top level of the deck at the airport.

"I know, sugar. I'm buying lunch for you and Luke when he gets in. He's always hungry as a bear when he gets off the plane. I think he'll be real pleased to see you, though." Daisy shot Rose a knowing grin.

"I hope so. That's a nice thought." Rose double-clicked the key fob to set the alarm. Daisy jumped as the horn honked. "Just turning on the alarm. We're not in Hazzard, remember."

"Don't I know it?" Daisy answered. "Atlanta has changed a lot the last 20 years. I just don't feel safe here, anymore."

"Me, either, and I've walked Lower Broadway in Nashville on a Saturday night."

"Yeah, but don't you have a black belt in karate or something?" Daisy asked.

Rose laughed. "A blue belt in jujitsu. Not a black belt, by any means. But did Bo ever fully explain that strained back he got while we were dating?"

"Not really. Unfortunately, I just assumed the obvious…" Daisy's voice trailed off.

"I understand," Rose said with a grin. "But that wasn't it at all. In fact, we never slept together. Not for lack of him wanting to, I assure you, but I just never could. He tried. I have to give that boy credit. He tried everything his little female-obsessed brain could think of, but it was just no good. Every time I looked into his eyes, I wanted to see another man. And he finally figured it out."

"So tell me about that strained back. I think I want to hear this," Daisy said.

"You do. All right. We were at his place, watching a movie, sitting on the floor, snuggling. Bo is pretty good at snuggling, I have to say. Anyway, he starts kissing me and rolls me over on the rug. No doubt what's on his mind. I told him to stop, let me up, all that, but he's just sure if he goes just a little longer, I'm going to be helpless in the face of his famous charm, to say nothing of his physical expertise, if you know what I mean. He just kept on though, and I started to get mad. So, I pinned his hands to my chest, leg-locked him around the neck and flipped him off of me. Standard grappling move in jujitsu."

They were riding the shuttle to the terminal and Daisy exploded in laughter, ignoring the looks from other passengers. "You flipped him? And he's what, head and shoulders taller than you? Oh, that's so funny! I knew he was being awful cagey about what had happened, but I never thought it would be that. Rose, you know what? You're the first woman who hasn't fallen into bed with Bo Duke since he was 15! But I'm glad. It's good for his ego."

Rose chuckled. "I think so, but really, he has grown up so much since that last woman left him. What was her name, Frosti? Frosti. Lord, help. Why would you name a child that? No wonder she grew up acting like a hooker. With a name like that, what else was she supposed to think?"

Daisy shook her head. "For real, and I argued with Bo till I was blue in the face that she was no good, and just looking for a meal ticket, but he wouldn't pay me any mind."

"I know. But Frosti was a 32C and the only brain that was operating was the one in his pants. I swear, that boy's libido has gotten him in more trouble. Wonder if having him fixed would help?"

"Rose, that's why I love you," Daisy said, giggling. "It's so tough to fool you. You see right through that cousin of mine, and call it like it is."

"Now that Uncle Jesse's gone, someone besides you has to. Maybe since Luke's coming home, that will help. But really, you know I love Bo with all my heart. I'm just not _in_ love with him. He's so generous and sweet. He'll give you the shirt off his back and the last crumb of food in the kitchen. He loves those cats and dogs like they're his kids, and there's no telling how much he's given to children's services for the kids. They know anytime they need anything, to call Bo and a check will be on the way. He's made a lot of money driving stock cars, and it's so good that he's giving back to the community. How many families in Hazzard got Christmas presents and Christmas dinner last year when the sock mill closed?"

"I know. Bo is such a dear. Too bad he's not more wise where women are concerned. Is this our stop?" Daisy said.

"Yeah." Unaccountably, Rose's heart started to beat faster. She knew Luke was getting off a plane in just a little while, and she would see him again. Would he notice she had lost weight? Would he even really notice her at all?

"Do planes ever land on time anymore?" Daisy groused as they sat, waiting on the flight.

"Not if the airlines have anything to say about it," Rose answered. She looked at her watch, then checked the arrivals board. "The board says the plane has arrived. Surely, he'll be along in a little while."

"I hope so. I hate these crowds. They make me nervous," Daisy said.

"I know what you mean. But he should see us here."

"We ought to be able to still wait at the gate," Daisy replied.

"Well yeah, but in a huge airport like this one, the gates are already so crowded you can't stir 'em with a stick."

Daisy nodded agreement. "Is that him? Yeah! There he is!" Like the country girl she was, Daisy stood on the chair and waved. "Luke! Here I am!"

The crowd parted a bit and Rose could see Luke coming through the sea of people. He spotted Daisy and his face lit up. Rose's heart turned over when she saw that smile. She also saw women glance admiringly at him as he walked. There was a lot to admire. He wore a dark red shirt, chamois, probably, since Luke couldn't stand anything remotely "itchy." His black jeans hugged his hips to perfection. The red of the shirt set off his tanned skin and those cornflower-blue eyes were just as beautiful as they always were. He still walked with a slight limp from that broken ankle that ended his career as a smoke jumper, but he was just as graceful as he ever was.

Daisy hopped off the chair. "Luke! I'm so glad to see you! Did you have a good trip?"

"Pretty good," he said, then spotted Rose. His eyes warmed with a little something more than just "glad-to-see-you," Rose thought.

"Daisy and Rose! My favorite bouquet!" he exclaimed, getting them both in a hug. He kissed the top of Daisy's head. "Sugar, will you ever grow up? I can't believe you stood on that chair and hollered at me! I'd have seen you eventually."

"I didn't want you to miss us, and no, I'm not going to grow up much. I'm too glad to see you." And she hugged her cousin fiercely.

"I'm glad to see you, too. It's good to be back. And Rose," he said, looking down into her brown eyes, "You look fantastic! Thank you so much for coming with Daisy to meet me. I know how she hates driving in city traffic."

"I was glad to do it, Luke. It's been too long since I've seen you."

"It has been a while," he agreed.

"I guess we need to get your bags," Rose said.

"Nah. This backpack is it. I've already shipped everything home. I wanted to travel light."

"Luke!" Daisy said. "I never thought I'd see the day when you wore sneakers! Where are your boots?"

He chuckled and Rose's heart did a double flip. "Hon, cowboy boots are a pain when you're flying. You have to take your shoes off to clear security. Sneakers are a lot easier to deal with."

"Oh. I didn't think about that. It just looks weird to see you in tennis shoes."

"I'm used to them now. They're easier on my ankle, too."

"How is that ankle, by the way?" Rose asked. She knew it had been a bad break, requiring surgery and months of physical therapy.

"Coming right along. I do my therapy every day and that helps so much. I can still tell you what the weather's going to be, though. Might come in right handy in the spring. I'll know where the tornado is long before the weather man does." He grinned. Thump! Went Rose's heart again.

"Oh hush that kind of talk," Daisy said. "Gives me the creeps." Her mountain roots ran deep and the thread of superstition and speaking evil into existence was still with her.

"How's the newspaper business, Rose?" Luke asked. Rose was a reporter with the Tri-County Herald, covering Hazzard, Sweetwater and Choctaw counties.

"Pretty good, all things considered. We're making it," she answered.

"Glad to hear it. Can we catch this shuttle?"

"Yeah," Rose said. "It goes to the parking deck.

The shuttle was crammed with people, and Luke, Daisy and Rose all had to squeeze into a seat made for two. Daisy helpfully made sure Rose was next to Luke. "You know I'm claustrophobic and can't stand to be next to the side or in the middle," she said.

Rose took her seat next to the window and Luke sat in the middle. It wasn't comfortable, but Rose really didn't mind almost being in Luke's lap the whole way to the car.

* * *

The flight from Dallas wasn't too long and Luke was anxious to get home to see his family. It wouldn't be quite the same without Uncle Jesse, but he knew where his uncle was, and hoped the Lord had a souped-up, night running car ready for the old ridge runner, and plenty of hills to drive it on.

Could the Atlanta airport _be_ any more crowded? It was enough to make you crazy, Luke thought. He wondered where Daisy would be, and how in the world he would find her. That's when he heard someone screaming, "Luke! Over here! Here I am!" and saw his cousin, mother of three, standing on a chair, of all things, yelling like a crazy woman. He rushed to her and stopped a little short when he saw the woman with her. It took him a moment to recognize her. Rose! Rose Turney! When in the world had she grown up? It seemed like only yesterday she was a chubby teenager, begging for "just one turn around the square" in the General Lee.

She wasn't chubby anymore, though. Now, she carried curves that should have warning signs on them. She would never be model slender, but Luke's tastes had never run to skinny girls, anyway. He liked to know he was holding a woman in his arms. Now where had _that_ thought come from, he wondered. So, he enveloped both women in a hug, and something inside assured him Rose was most definitely a woman, as she slipped an arm around his waist and returned the hug. He didn't think about the warm twinkle in his eyes she saw when he released her, but her eyes let him know right then something had changed, and she knew it. This was going to be an interesting homecoming.

Luke had stretched his arms across the back of the shuttle bus seat, to at least create the illusion of a little more room. Rose didn't even care. Being this close to him was delicious. That something inside Luke was reminding him yet again that Rose Turney had grown up for sure, and he was becoming more interested in finding out what there was to know about the woman. It was too loud inside the bus for much chatter, and all three were relieved when the bus stopped on their level of the parking deck.

"I'm surprised we didn't all go flying out of there like the air let out of a balloon when they opened the doors," Rose said. "It's got to be illegal to cram that many people into one of those buses."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, like it ought to be illegal to cram people into an airplane the way they do. I swear, I didn't get to stretch my legs for three hours. It was awful."

"You poor thing," Daisy said. "Well, you sit in the back, then, so you can prop that ankle up. What do you want for lunch?"

"I don't care. Food," Luke answered.

"Let's wait until we get north of town," Rose said. "Not as crowded."

"I second that," Luke replied.

"Me too," said Daisy.

The women stopped in the ladies room when they got to the café. "Rose, I think you definitely have Luke's attention," Daisy said.

"You think so, huh? Why is that?" Rose answered.

"Because he couldn't keep his eyes off you," Daisy replied. "He was checking you out the minute he saw you, and I've seen that twinkle in his eyes before. He's _real_ interested."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am. Bet me he either asks for your phone number or asks you out by the time you leave the house." Daisy was sure of her ground, here.

"Dream come true," Rose sighed.

"I know, sugar, and I'm gonna do all I can to make sure it does. But I don't think I'll have to do much. He's two-thirds of the way there, already. He's just planning out when to do it."

"I hope so."

"Trust me on this one. But let's not keep him waiting. Luke gets tetchy when he's hungry. Remember that."

Rose just chuckled.

Throughout the meal, Daisy saw she was right. Luke couldn't keep his eyes off Rose. When she looked out the window once, he stared at her with such heat, Daisy had to elbow him to remind him to behave. He started and looked at his cousin, who knit her eyebrows at him and mouthed, "Behave."

He nodded and looked down at his plate. He ate, but didn't really know what it was. Rose ate and talked and was at her wittiest, most charming. Daisy nearly choked with laughter watching those two. Luke was so smart, and in the past, had trouble finding a woman who could keep up with him intellectually. Rose did it with ease. As the country folks would say, looking at them, you could tell they were "eat up with it." In other words, they were smitten with each other. Daisy couldn't have been more pleased.

"Now you'll come on in the house for supper, won't you?" Daisy said, as they came into downtown Hazzard.

"I couldn't, Daisy. You all will want some family time," Rose answered.

"Now, Rose, I'm not taking no for an answer," Daisy put in. "Enos and the kids will be there, and I have enough food for Lee's army. Somebody is going to have to help us eat it all!"

"Please come, Rose. I'd really like to have you there," Luke added. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

Rose didn't miss Daisy's broad wink that said, "I told you so" plain as day. "Well, all right. I'll stay for a little while."

"That's fine!" Daisy said. "I've got some pictures I want you to take with you that were made by the Herald. Can you take them and look on the microfilm and see who all is in them? They have dates."

"Sure, I'll be glad to," Rose answered.

"That would be great. Some of them have Uncle Jesse in them, and we don't know who else. You'd be doing us a huge favor. Doesn't take near as long to get to the house now that the road's been paved all the way out, does it?" Daisy said as they pulled up to the old home.


	2. Chapter 2: A Little Family History

**A/N:** _Sorry for the formatting boo-boos. My internet connection went flooey before I had time to make the edits last night. Anyway, if the dialog is a little different from how it's written on the show, it's because I'm a Southerner and this is the authentic version of the dialog, not Hollywood's. If you need any translation, IM me. LOL. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you all for taking the time to R&R!_

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

**Chapter 2: A Little Family History**

Even though there were just three of them, the yard seemed full of children as Rose, Daisy and Luke pulled into the drive.

"It's Mama!" one of the little girls shouted. She picked up a little boy who looked to be about two and with her sister, jogged to the van.

"Hey babies," Daisy said as she got out. "You remember Miss Rose Turney, don't you? Mind your manners and speak, now."

"Hey Miss Rose," the older girl said.

"Hi Lucy. Is that Jesse you've got? Gracious, but he's big! I haven't seen him in three weeks and it looks like he's grown a foot!"

"I think he has," Daisy said. "That boy is going to be as tall as his Daddy, and maybe as tall as his Uncle Bo. Already eats like the both of them!"

Rose laughed. "That explains it, then."

"'Oo dat?" That was Jesse, pointing at his uncle Luke.

Luke shook his head. "Daisy, I can't believe this is little Jesse David. You were expecting him when I was home last."

"Yeah, I was. Jesse, this is your Uncle Luke. Can you say hi?"

The child looked a little doubtfully at the stranger. "Hi," was all he said.

"Howdy, Jesse. Hey there, Lucy. Can your Uncle Luke get a hug?"

"Sure," the little girl said and hugged him. She was six.

Luke turned to the other child. "Sarah, you don't remember me, I know. I'm your Uncle Luke. Your Mama and Uncle Bo and I grew up together."

"Hey," said the four year old and then to her mother, "Mama, I'm hungry."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "These young'uns are always hungry," she said. "Go in the kitchen and get Uncle Bo to fix you some peanut butter and crackers, all right? Supper isn't too far off."

"Yes Ma'am," Sarah answered, and went into the house.

Bo, for his part, was looking out the kitchen window when his niece came in. So Rose had gone with Daisy to the airport. Hmmm.

"Unca' Bo, Mama said I'm hungry and for you to fix me peanut butter an' crackers," Sarah said.

"Your Mama said you were hungry, huh? Maybe _you _said you were hungry?" he teased.

"Yah," she answered.

"Yah, what?" Bo asked.

"Yessir."

"That's better. And I'll be glad to fix PB and crackers for you." He covered four crackers in peanut butter, put them on a paper towel and handed them to the child. He went back to the window. He could see Rose and Luke lingering outside as Luke pointed out something on the big hickory tree and laughed. Rose laughed, too, and Bo saw the look on her face as she smiled at his cousin. He saw the look on Luke's face, too.

Well. He kind of figured that's what was going on. He'd finally dragged it out of Rose that she was still crazy about Luke, and it looked like Luke felt the same way – or was starting to. Just his luck. He found a nice woman who wasn't interested in his money, and she wanted his cousin.

Bo truly wasn't the jealous type, but he had really liked Rose, and was a little envious of Luke if he managed to convince Rose to do more than just kiss him. He had wanted her in his bed and wondered if his cousin would get that honor. Well, it was water under the bridge and across the dam. Bo well knew there were plenty of other females in Hazzard County, to say nothing of the ones in Sweetwater and Choctaw. There was bound to be one who would put up with him.

Enos came out to the porch. "Hey Daisy, honey," he said.

"Hey sugar!" she answered and gave him a kiss. Even with a little polish from living in L.A., Enos was still a shy country boy and turned beet red when Daisy kissed him.

"Miss Rose, thank you for driving Daisy to Atlanta. I sure feel better when she's with somebody when she's there."

"My pleasure, Enos," Rose answered.

"Luke, it surely is good to see you. It surely is," Enos said, giving his hand to his old friend.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Enos. I hear you're sheriff now."

"Yep. I'm serving my second term. Things are changing a little in Hazzard County, Luke."

"Some change is good. Glad to hear it. Where's Bo?"

"Right here, cousin," came Bo's voice. He walked into the living room with the rest. "I'm glad to see you," he said, taking Luke's hand. The men stood a moment, then clasped each other in a fierce bear hug. "The old place will seem a little less empty with you here," he said.

Luke sighed. "Yeah. It does seem like Uncle Jesse ought to be walking through the door any minute, griping about how Maude isn't milking good today, or the goats are off their feed." He looked to the mantlepiece, where a photo of Jesse, Bo, Daisy and Luke sat.

"I know it. I still look for him every time I come through the door," Bo said.

"Me too," Daisy agreed. She looked at the clock. "Great day!" she exclaimed. "I've got cooking to do!"

"Let me help," Rose said.

"Well, you're company and normally, I'd say no, but come on in and welcome."

"Thanks, Daisy. What do you want me to do first?"

"Stir up a pan of cornbread, will you? I'm making chicken and dressing, and I've got to get that chicken pulled off the bone!"

"I did that for you," said Bo.

"_You_ did?" Daisy asked, a little incredulously.

"Yeah, I did. I can do some things besides tinker with cars. If I can field dress a boar, I figure I can take chicken meat off the bones."

"Bo, that was so sweet of you! I appreciate it so much!" Daisy hugged her cousin and kissed his cheek. He grinned a little sheepishly and went into the living room.

"I'll start chopping celery and onions for the dressing. How many eggs do you use in cornbread for dressing, Rose?"

"Six. And two more in the dressing itself."

"Oh, I remember. You make your dressing like your Mama, and she always had the best in the county!"

"It was always good, that's for sure."

"In that case, do you mind making the dressing? I'd surely love to watch what you do," Daisy answered.

"I don't mind a bit. While the cornbread is baking, tear up about six slices of white bread. Do you have any fresh sage?"

"Right over there. Pulled it out of the herb garden this morning."

"Great. I'll chop it up," Rose said, suiting actions to words.

As she walked Daisy through her mother's recipe, Luke looked back into the kitchen every so often from his place. Rose continued to work and Luke felt a little catch in his throat at the thought of Rose cooking for him. Never had any of his girlfriends really cooked for him, or gone fishing with him, or anything like that. Luke had taught Rose to fish himself when she was just nine.

"Rose sure is a nice girl," Enos said.

"She sure is," Luke agreed.

"She's a heck of a cook and can sew and still work at that newspaper." Enos was nothing if not a traditionalist.

Luke laughed. "Yeah. A woman of many talents."

Bo said, "You could do worse, cousin. Take my word for it."

Luke looked suspiciously at Bo. "Did you two..." his voice trailed off.

"Dated for a while." Here, Bo lowered his voice. "And that's it. Nothing else. Not because I didn't make the effort. But she was hung up on you then. Still is."

Luke shook his head. "You're crazy. Delusional. She's always loved both of us."

"She likes me. She loves you," Bo said with conviction.

"I think she does, Luke." That was Enos

"You two are crazy. You realize that. Totally bonkers."

"Believe me or don't, Luke, but them's the facts. Rose Turney is stone cold gone on your case and that's all there is to it." Bo shrugged and turned back to watching the race. "Now looky there," he said. "Wallace just needs a new chief or something. That last pit stop was a disaster. None of those boys looked like they'd ever worked a pit crew before. Twenty-nine seconds for gas and four tires? That's just laziness!"

"You glad to be off the circuit, Bo?"

Bo looked sidelong at his cousin. "Are you kidding? Glad? I'm tickled. I never thought I'd never want to be racing, but it's not my kind of racing anymore. It's such a business. Too much security. And the media. Man! Couldn't even wink at a chick in the infield. All over one of those tabloid rags the next week. Yeah, I'm glad I'm out. I made more money than I'll ever spend. I've got a good accountant and he's made solid investments for me. No, I'll never go back."

The race continued as the ladies cooked. Finally, Daisy said, "Enos, go get the babies and Bo and Luke, you two wash up. It's ready."

"Yes'm," Luke said as he went to wash his hands.

Enos brought in the children and all sat down. Thanks were returned and Daisy and Rose brought serving dishes to the table.

"We've got chicken and dressing, green beans, field peas, squash, creamed corn, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Gravy for the dressing is on the stove, if you want it.

Luke rubbed his hands together. "I have been dreaming about a dinner like this for months," he said. He, Enos and Bo ate more than Rose thought three humans should eat, and everyone raved about the dressing, which pleased Rose.

After everyone was so full, and predictions of popping came up, Luke sniffed the air. "Something's still in the oven. What is it?"

"You and your nose, Luke Duke," said Daisy. "That's peach cobbler. And I intended to turn a freezer of ice cream, but I think you men ate too much to turn the crank!"

"I can crank an ice cream freezer, Daisy!" Bo said. "Help me work off some of this good food. And get an appetite for the cobbler."

"How Uncle Jesse kept us fed, I'll never know, Daisy answered. "I've got the custard in the fridge. Enos, honey, please go get the ice from the chest freezer and the rock salt."

"All right, sugar," Enos said and went to the back porch, where the freezer sat. He came back with ice and salt and Daisy carefully packed the freezer and slid the container into the ice. She fitted the buck and crank across the freezer container and said "All right, somebody had better start cranking, if we're going to have ice cream before midnight!" She went to take the cobbler from the oven.

Enos willingly took the first round and as they sat on the porch, Rose asked, "How did Uncle Jesse come to raise you all? I don't think I've ever known the whole story."

Bo looked at Luke. "You're the oldest and you remember," he said.

"All right. Let me start with a little Duke history. Uncle Jesse had nine brothers and sisters. They came in two sets. He was the youngest of the oldest set. When Grandma Flora Duke died, that was Uncle Jesse's mother, Grandpa Duke grieved for a while, then married Grandma Ellen Duke, who was a good bit younger. She had five children, and our parents," he indicated his cousins, "were in that batch. Mine and Bo's parents were killed in a car accident. Our daddies had taken our mamas down to the race at Daytona and were killed in a multi-car accident on the way home. I was ten and Bo was six when Uncle Jesse took us in. He was the logical choice, since we knew him and he lived here in Hazzard. Aunt Sally was gone by then, and he was lonely. So he took us to raise. Daisy came about a year later. She's between Bo and me in age. Her daddy died in Vietnam and her mama had breast cancer and passed away when Daisy was eight. Her mama was sister to our dads, but when Uncle Jesse adopted her, her legal name was Duke."

"Wow," Rose said. "I'm surprised they didn't try to farm you kids out to the other two siblings."

"Nah," Luke said. "Small county and the welfare worker wanted to keep us together if she could. We had all always been close, and Uncle Jesse just raised us like brothers and sister. He used to worry about Daisy not having a woman's influence in her life, and Lord help, was she ever a tomboy, but Aunt Darcy took her in hand and helped out. She was just older than Uncle Jesse. Everybody loved Aunt Darcy, including Daisy, so that was good."

"I don't know how I'd have turned out if not for Aunt Darcy," Daisy said. "Although I'm glad she went on to her reward before I started waitressing at the Boar's Nest and wearing those hot pants and high heels! She'd have had a hissy fit!"

"You got that right," Luke said. "That dear lady had fainting spells when miniskirts came to Hazzard County. And the first majorettes at the high school who had those bodysuits with sequins? I thought she was going to take to her bed! We thought they were mighty cute, though." He grinned at Bo and Enos.

"Yeah we did," Bo agreed. "Especially with those white knee boots they wore. That Darlene Pitman, have mercy!"

"Wasn't she the head majorette when I was in about the third grade?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, we were both seniors," Bo said. He shook his head. "What that girl did for that uniform. And twirling a baton wasn't all she could do!" He chuckled reminiscently.

"T-M-I, Bo!" said Daisy. "Rose and I don't care to relive your conquests. You're just being tacky."

"Tacky, Bo. Did you hear?" said Luke. "The ultimate put-down from a Southern woman, and Daisy aimed it right at you."

"I heard. Can't even talk about Darlene Pitman? What's the world coming to, anyway?"

Daisy just snorted in disgust. "Go turn the ice cream freezer, Bo. That way, you won't have enough breath to talk thataway."

"Yes Ma'am," the tall blond said. He took his seat and began to crank.


	3. Chapter 3: You Fill Up My Senses

**A/N:** _Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming. I do appreciate them. The romance heats up (but you knew it was going to, right?). Hope you all are enjoying this little flight of fantasy. Isn't the Internet wonderful? LOL._

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

**Chapter 3: You Fill Up My Senses**

"Well, after all that food, I need to get up and stretch my legs," said Luke.

"Don't we all?" Daisy replied.

"Have you been down to the creek lately, Rose?" Luke asked.

"A couple of months ago. Why?"

"I just wanted to see how it looks down there. I know Bo had it cleared out a little. Want to walk down there with me?"

"Sure, I guess so," Rose answered, ignoring the knowing grins on Daisy's and Bo's faces. Enos, as usual, seemed to be thinking of something else entirely.

Luke and Rose set off toward the creek, when Luke detoured into the barn.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Just a minute." She heard him chuckle. "Some things never change. There's still an old blanket in here." He reappeared in the doorway and said, "If we want to sit down, we can park on the blanket. Let me fold it up."

Sunset was still lighting the sky when they made the short walk to the creek.

"Bo did clear it out around here, didn't he?" Luke said.

"Yeah, but it really needed it. It was getting so overgrown you couldn't even get down here. But you can see where he planted some crepe myrtles over there. They'll be really pretty next summer. And he had this area sodded with grass so you can actually enjoy sitting on the ground without getting cockleburs in your rear end." Rose laughed.

"Don't remind me," Luke returned. He spread the blanket over the lush grass. "Have a seat," he said.

Rose sat down and looked around her. "Fall is definitely on the way. The days are getting shorter."

"I'll be glad, too. I'll also be glad to spend a winter without having six feet of snow on the ground for six months solid. I want to go over to Murphy's Orchard and get apples and drink fresh-pressed cider. Then I want to drive up to Hiawassee and look at the leaves changing color."

"Quite an agenda," Rose said.

Luke slipped his arm around Rose's shoulders. "I don't want to go alone, either."

"Is that so?" she replied. Teasingly, she said, "I didn't know Bo liked to look at leaves."

Luke snorted. "You. You've got a smart mouth, did you know that?"

"Learned from the best, sugar," Rose answered. "That means you."

He shook his head. "Don't I know it? You know, your Mama fussed at me real good one time about teaching you how to answer back when those little boys teased you."

"I know she did. But it didn't stop me. Especially not when Bo started picking on me. But you took care of that, didn't you?"

"You bet I did. Well, I told Uncle Jesse about it and he took care of it. He really raked Bo over the coals about being thirteen and picking on a five-year-old."

"I know he did it just because he didn't want his buddies teasing him about being nice to a little girl," Rose returned. "But goodness, I surely do miss Uncle Jesse. I guess everyone in Hazzard does. He loved you boys so much. It like to have killed him when he thought you two drowned in the pond that time. I remember. I was at the house and I thought he was going to die, too."

Luke shook his head. "One of the worst regrets I've ever had was grieving him like that. But it all came right."

"When the story came out about you and Bo getting the General down in the impound and it glowing in the dark with that glaze Cooter put on it, I swear, the whole eighth grade laughed our behinds off. I can just hear Enos yelling, 'The General's turned into one of them spook talkin' mediums!' I think Rosco went to bed for a week after that one. I know he was mighty scarce around town for several days, anyway."

Luke laughed at the remembered prank. "That's one of our best ones, I have to say. And you're right. Rosco laid low for a while after that. So did J.D., come to think of it. Trying to take advantage of someone's death like that really left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. That's how that woman got elected to that supervisor's role. What was her name?"

"Gracious, Luke. I don't remember. How many sheriff's cars do you reckon you two wrecked, indirectly?"

"Not near as many as the stories say. One or two. The tales get bigger every year. And we didn't jump anything that often, either. Because every time we did, we knew we would have to replace something in the suspension. Jumping beats hell out of it. But the General did kind of get a legendary status, so people started saying we jumped every ditch, ravine and creek in the county. But we only did it if we didn't have any other choice, and knew we'd have to replace the shocks soon, anyway."

"What about all those chases? I know some of those happened. I remember them."

Luke shrugged. "There were some chases. But not nearly as many as people thought there were. Sometimes what people took for a chase was just us running the old 'shine routes with Enos. He was practicing his pursuit skills. Now, when Daisy's old car got wrecked and she got that Jeep, that was a chase. Lord have mercy. _That_ was a chase. I didn't know how that would turn out."

"Something I never understood was why J.D. had such a grudge against you. I know he and Uncle Jesse were old rivals, but why carry it to you and Bo?"

"I'm not entirely sure about that, either. That's one of those secrets Uncle Jesse took to his grave. Part of it was because we knew what J.D. was. Uncle Jesse knew him through and through, and so did we. The whole family had nothing but disgust for J.D. Hogg and he knew it and couldn't stand it. Paul and Daniel Duke may have run a little shine once in a while, but in every other way, they were honest men. And the only reason they, or Uncle Jesse, ever ran any after we were born is when they didn't have any other way to feed us. Otis Strate, Enos' daddy, was the same. Times were hard in this county. If you didn't work in the sock mill, sometimes you didn't work at all. The Dukes were all farmers, and if the crops didn't come in, the money didn't, either."

"I never really realized how lucky I was, I guess. Mama worked in the hospital and Daddy taught school. So we always had enough to eat, even if we weren't wealthy."

"They back in Alabama now?"

"Yeah. The only reason we came to Hazzard is because Daddy got a teaching job here. When he retired, they moved back. I may, one of these days. I like north Alabama."

"Would you really move? Nothing here to keep you?" Luke sounded a little anxious.

Rose smiled. "Well, I wasn't talking about leaving in the next six months or anything! And who knows? I may find something or someone to convince me to stay."

"I'm glad to hear that." Luke glanced at the sky. "This time of year, when the sun goes, it goes quick. The moon is already up."

"I see. I like being out here. You can see all the stars." Rose laid back on the blanket and gazed into the night.

"So Rose?" Luke shifted on the blanket so he could see her in the moonlight.

"Yeah, Luke?"

"Answer me something, would you?"

"Surely. What's on your mind?"

Luke sighed. "Why is it that cousin of mine seems to catch more women than he can handle, just by grinning at them, when I have to fight to have a girl smile at me? It's always been that way."

Rose chuckled. "Yeah, and Bo's been divorced twice, too. Lucas, sweetheart, here's how it works. Both of you guys are sweet, tender, kind gentlemen. Both of you have good hearts and a wild streak. But Bo looks like a frat boy. A countrified frat boy," she amended. "And that wild streak combined with frat boy looks, and bang! You've got instant chick magnet. You, on the other hand, haven't looked like a boy since you were one. When you were 20, you looked 35. The advantage to that, obviously, is that when you're 55, you'll still look 35." She laughed again. Luke was resting his chin on his hand and looking curiously at her — as if her words presented a concept that had never occurred to him before. "Plus, you've had a job even more dangerous than a stock car driver. You were a smoke jumper. Lucas, you're a _man_. Always have been. And very often, women find _men_ a lot more intimidating than boys. Give the devil his due: Bo's matured a lot in the past couple of years since that last piece of trash walked out of his life, but Luke honey, you've been acting and thinking like a man for a lot longer. But you know what?"

"What?" Luke answered. He couldn't wait to hear the rest of this.

"Even when I was 11 years old, riding my bike and wishing I could drive the General Lee, I always loved both of you. I nearly died every time Bo would grin at me and tug my ponytail. But when you grinned and winked at me in church, Luke, I'd float home on a cloud of happiness. Do you remember when I was 15 and went to the homecoming dance with Junior Clayton?"

"Oh yeah. He couldn't even walk you home without making a pass at you."

"Right. And you were coming back from Atlanta. You'd been to get a part for the General and you were driving that old Nova SS. You remember you saw him trying to unzip my dress in Memorial Park."

"And I jumped out of the car, ran over there and had a hard time not beating him to death."

Rose laughed. "Exactly. You did almost _scare_ him to death, though. But I was never so glad to see anyone in my life. Now, if Bo had been the one to find me, or Enos, or Cooter, I'd have been so grateful, but it was you, Luke, and that made it so much better. I started out with the hugest crush on you, but over the years, I've just been hoping against hope that one day, you'd see that I'm not 11, or 15 anymore. I'm a woman now, and I can't think of a man I'd rather be with than you. It's you, Lucas K. Duke, and it always has been."

Luke gave Rose a bemused smile. "You're kidding me, right?"

She laughed again. "No, Luke. I'm not kidding you. Not at all. But you know, there's something I never knew. What does the "K" stand for, anyway? Keith?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Lord, no. I wish it did. The "K" stands for, and I can't believe I'm telling you this, but Kennesaw."

"As in Kennesaw Mountain?"

"As in Kennesaw Mountain. Awful, ain't it?"

"I've heard worse."

"Can't imagine where."

"I've worked for the Atlanta paper. You'd better believe I've heard worse."

"That reminds me," Luke said. "Daisy was telling me about a blistering editorial in the Herald last week about the Hogg family ruling Hazzard County politics. How on earth can you all write that without Little Boss shutting you down?"

That got a big grin. "We're not in Hazzard County. We moved the offices about 15 years ago. We're just over the line in Sweetwater County and as you know, their county government is a little more enlightened."

"So I've heard. Rose, it's good to be home. It's even better to be here with you."

"I'm tickled you're home, Lucas. I've been waiting for you."

"I think I may have been waiting for you, too," he softly answered. Then, he took Rose into his arms and for the first time ever, kissed her.

Rose felt she would melt into a puddle. She had hugged Luke many times, so his body wasn't entirely unfamiliar. But this — this was different. He was holding her as a lover this time. And his arms were stronger and more muscled than she remembered. His mouth was just like she had always dreamed it would be: soft, hot, tender, sensual, all at the same time. He asked nothing except she return his kiss, which she did, wishing that kiss, that touch, would never end.

"You feel so good and you smell so good," Luke murmured against her skin. "When did you grow up on me?" His low chuckle sent heat through Rose's body.

"A while back. You just weren't here to know about it."

"I'm here now," he replied in her ear, and then nibbled her earlobe.

Rose squirmed a little and squealed. "Luke, you're bad!"

He growled, "You're double damned right I'm bad. And you like it." Luke pulled Rose close once more and then said, "Rosie, sugar, if I don't stop right now, well, I won't be responsible for what I do. What do _you_ want?"

"I don't want you to stop either, Luke, but I also don't want mosquito bites in uncomfortable places."

"We can't go back to the house. No privacy there," Luke said.

Rose laughed. "You forget I'm an adult woman. I have a house of my own, you know."

"I'd forgotten. Where is it?"

"Not far. Out Mud Tavern Road. It's the little house where Lulamae Stewart lived. You know, Maybelle's grandmother."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that place. How long have you had it?"

"A couple of years. You want to head over there?"

"Yeah."

"O.K. Let's go then."

"When did they pave Mud Tavern Road?" Luke asked, as Rose unlocked the door of her house.

"Last year. Naturally, Little Boss and the county commission didn't want to spend the money, but since this is an official evacuation route, we appealed to the state and they insisted. Lordy, was Hughie hot about that! He's worse than the original, if that's possible."

"Well, J.D. did have some decency," Luke said. "You could occasionally appeal to his better nature, even if he ignored it most of the time. And you could always talk to Miss Lulu if Boss wouldn't cooperate. But Hughie doesn't have a better nature, I don't think."

"No. And since Miss Lulu is gone now, you can't even get to him through her. Times have changed, though, and one of these days, Hughie Hogg is going to be hauled up on ethics charges, at the very least. He will get his. I have no doubt."

"I hope you're right."

Rose got the old lock to release and stepped inside and turned the light on. "Come in," she said.

Luke stepped inside and looked around. The last time he had been here, it was dark and dingy. Miss Lulamae kept the drapes closed all the time, and the walls were dark panel. Rose had renovated the place. The paneling was still there, but painted off-white. The colors were soothing and clean, giving the house rather the air of a New England beach home. It was now open, airy and relaxing.

"Do you like it?" Rose asked.

"It looks great. You've done a wonder for this old place. I think Miss Lulamae would have liked it, too."

"I like to think she would have. Want me to fire up the coffeepot? I've got plenty of decaf," she said.

"Yeah, go ahead. I forgot you like coffee about as well as I do." He sat down on the sofa. "Comfortable. Hey, don't you have cats? I know you used to," he said.

"Oh yeah. They're probably asleep in the guest room. They might get up. You never know." Rose put the coffee on and turned on the lamp next to the sofa. She then turned off the overhead light. The room dimmed to a romantic glow and Rose sat down close to Luke.

He patted his lap. "I think I want you even closer," he said.

"I'm a little heavy for your lap," she replied.

"No you're not," he said. "Sit right here." And he indicated the space on his opposite side.

"I think I get your drift," Rose said and arranged herself so her legs were across his lap. This left her head resting on the sofa arm. She gazed into those blue, blue eyes, almost embarrassed at the heat she could see there.

"That's better," he said, lifting her up and lowering his mouth to meet hers. The sparks flew instantly as they kissed. She made him feel like a raw, untried teenager again, all heat and fire, and desperation even, with none of the tempering his age should give him. They kissed urgently, feverishly, until Luke drew a shuddering breath.

"What is it?" Rose panted.

He gave that crooked smile. "I forget we've got all night. I don't have to be home. I don't have to be anywhere, for that matter. Except here."

"Good to know," Rose said. "Ready for a cup of coffee, then?"

He grinned wickedly at her. "Sure."

Rose eased off his lap and went to get the coffee. As she reached for two mugs, a hand snagged them for her. "This what you were looking for?" Luke's voice sounded in her ear.

"Yeah." She leaned back against him as his arms came around her and he trailed kisses along her neck. Then he took the cups and poured coffee, his hand steadier than Rose thought hers could be.

"I like a good cup of hot coffee," he said, sipping, his eyes twinkling at her over the rim of his mug.

"Me too."

He turned the pot off. "We can heat it up later if we want. And speaking of heat, and hot..." he wrapped his arms around her again and slowly backed her out of the kitchen and down the hall to the bedroom, kissing her the whole time. He pressed her against the wall one time and said, "I'd take you here in the hall, Rosie, but you wouldn't like it. And I want you to like this. Every second of it."

"I will, Luke. I know I will. If you're touching me, I know I'll like it. You've been touching me in my dreams for years. Didn't you know?" she said, gasping as he slid his hands underneath her T-shirt.

"I know this is not a dream, and you get the real, flesh and blood version tonight, sugar. No substitutes."

Moonlight streamed through the window of Rose's bedroom, lighting it up almost like daylight. She turned to look at the clock. It read 3:15 a.m. The moonlight touched Luke's sleeping face and she smiled. He looked like a boy when he was asleep. She sighed softly with happiness. Could this have been more perfect? Luke was every teenage fantasy fulfilled. He was all the hottest romance novels she had read, and all the heroes starring in them.

Her life just generally didn't fall into the fairy tale realms, so this was doubly sweet. She had pretty much decided Daisy would call her one day and tell her Luke had finally found "the one" and settled down with her. And there Rose would be, with nothing but old dreams to keep her company. But once in a while, fairy tales do come true, and hers had. It had taken a while, but finally, the one man she had loved since she could remember loving anyone, had told her he loved her.

Gentle, considerate Luke. He had a little freak-out when he found out she was still a virgin. And Rose knew all too well how rare virgins her age were. But she had reassured him this was what she wanted, and who she wanted it with, and that was all there was to that. She touched his outstretched hand, but he slept on. She knew he was worn out. His hands were callused, but not hard. Not rough. They were kind, tender hands. They were very different from Bo's hands, large, with those long, elegant fingers that could bring music from the old piano at the house, or from a guitar. No, Luke's hands were broader, squarer, looking like they were made for work.

But there was never any point in comparing Bo and Luke. Bo looked every inch a Southern aristocrat, and if you were doing a modern version of "Gone with the Wind," you'd want Bo for Ashley Wilkes. He looked the part. Luke, on the other hand, was a farm boy, with his mother's Cherokee heritage evident all over his high cheekbones and in that tousled black hair.

"You're smiling. That's good," came Luke's voice.

Rose looked at Luke's face. His eyes were half open and he reached for her hand. "I am smiling," she answered. "I'm a happy woman."

Luke's face broke into a sleepy, lopsided grin that made Rose's heart turn over, as it was so prone to do when she was around him. "C'mere, then, babe. I need you closer to me." Rose moved to snuggle against that broad chest, feeling a delight that went beyond her powers of description. As she fit her head into the pocket of his shoulder, she drifted into a deeply satisfied sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Morning After Blues

**A/N:** _Don't be fooled by the ending! There's more to come! Please R&R._

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

**Chapter 4: Morning After Blues**

Bo was taking his cereal bowl to the kitchen sink when he looked out and noticed Luke's car wasn't there. Well, it was Uncle Jesse's old pickup, but it was what Luke was driving until he bought his own vehicle. Bo left the bowl in the sink and went to the room he used to share with Luke. He slept in Uncle Jesse's old room, now. The bed hadn't been disturbed. Bo would lay odds that Uncle Jesse's pickup, along with Luke, were currently at a house out on Mud Tavern Road. "That ol' dog," Bo said, without any heat in his voice. "Well, I guess he got to go where no man has gone before." He chuckled largely at his own joke. "Wonder if he has the guts to show up to church this morning?" The thought of being able to tease Luke unmercifully wiped out any lingering jealousy he might have had toward him. He whistled "The Old Rugged Cross" cheerfully as he went to shower.

* * *

Rose was making coffee again – the leaded kind this time – and wondering if she had really spent the night she thought she had spent. Luke was snoring softly when she got up, and didn't stir. In the bathroom, Rose could see her mouth was a little swollen, and then anxiously checked her neck for any signs of the night before. There were none, and she sighed in relief. The last thing she needed when she went to church or work was a hickey. "Thank goodness I'm on the pill," she said. Neither she nor Luke had exactly been prepared for last night, and she was just glad she was protected. She wasn't worried about anything else with Luke, and Daisy's tart comment came back to her. "Aw, old Mr. Lloyd at the drugstore just starts after the penicillin bottle when Bo walks in." She laughed silently. It was really was an exaggeration, especially these days, but with Bo, you just never knew for sure.

Rose looked in the pantry. She hadn't been to the grocery store and her cupboards were a little bare. "Grits and toast may be all we have this morning," she said to her two cats, who had come into the kitchen. Ace, black as his name implied, was part Maine Coon and was occasionally mistaken for a small dog. Joker, a handsome orange tabby, rubbed around Rose's legs. "I fed both of you. You're just rotten pussycats," she said. Ace meowed, as if in agreement.

She stood at the counter, waiting on the coffee to brew, and looked out the kitchen window. It was a beautiful morning. And Rose was by no means a morning person. Arms came around her from behind and Luke kissed her on the top of the head. "Good morning."

"Morning," Rose said, leaning against him. This was definitely the way to start the day, in her opinion. She could get used to this. She turned in his arms and tilted her head up for a real kiss. She sighed and put her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat. She looked up at him. "Did last night really happen or did we go somewhere and I drank six daiquiris and dreamed it all?"

There went that lopsided grin again. "Oh, it happened. I kind of wondered the same thing myself when I woke up. Then I saw this little place here," he pointed to his upper arm, "and it all came right back."

"What?" Rose said, and examined the mark on his smooth skin. It looked like a bite. "Did I do that? Oh Luke, I'm so sorry! Now I'm just mortified," she said, turning crimson to the roots of her hair.

"Why? Tangle with a wildcat, you're bound to get bit," he teased.

Rose blushed even deeper and turned her head away. She covered her face with one hand. "How embarrassing!"

"Embarrassed? Why should you be? I'm not."

"I don't know. I-I just. Well, I-I…" her voice trailed off.

"I know, sugar. You just don't know how to act right now. Maybe I don't, either." He folded her close in his arms. Her head fit just nicely under his chin. It was like she was made to be in his arms. Nothing had ever felt so right in his life. Who would have thought when he was a teenager that this little girl he was teaching to fish would eventually be the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with? The Lord certainly had a sense of humor.

"Honey, I don't have much in the way of breakfast in the house. Grits and toast are about all I have. I'm out of bacon and eggs both. I haven't been to the store this week. But there's cereal, too." Rose was apologetic.

Luke grinned. "Not like you were expecting company. Tell you what," he looked at the clock. "It's only a little after seven. Think you can be ready in time for me to take you to breakfast and get to church?"

"Sure, but church? I'll be squirming the whole service. I hope Brother Mark doesn't pick this Sunday to preach on fornication."

Luke threw back his head and howled with laughter at this statement. "Me either, if you want to know the truth. Bo could use a dose of that sermon, though. Oh, shoot!" he said as a thought hit him. "I'll have to go back to the house to get some clothes! I wonder if Daisy could distract Bo long enough for me to get in and out of there?"

"Yeah, you're bound to get the treatment if she can't. You're probably in for it regardless."

"No doubt, but I don't want to deal with it this morning."

"Call her. See what she can do. She won't say too much, seeing as how she's all for us being a couple."

Luke shook his head. "You two had my next 20 years mapped out before I even got off the plane, didn't you?"

"Not exactly. It all depended on you being a willing participant." Rose grinned at him.

"Willing?" Luke harumphed and said, "I'm callin' Daisy."

She picked up on the second ring and said, "Hey sugar! How'd it go last night?" Damn caller ID. Daisy obviously thought she was speaking to Rose.

"Pretty well," Luke answered.

For a moment, the near-impossible happened. Daisy was rendered speechless. "That's good," she said. "You got there awful early this morning. Hope you didn't wake her up!"

"She was up before I was," Luke said. He would give every penny in his bank account to see the look on Daisy's face right now. Rose, by this time, had caught on to what was going on and was at the kitchen table, giggling.

"Well, allrighty then!" Daisy said. "So what do you want, cousin?"

"I need you to run interference. See, we came over here last night. But I know I'll be expected in church this morning and my good clothes are at the house. When we get close, I'll call you, so can you call Bo and keep him distracted long enough for me to change clothes and run out? I don't want to run into him this morning."

"Yeah, I wouldn't, either, if I were you," Daisy had recovered her composure and was laughing. "Oh me, Luke. I just didn't know how interesting it was about to get around here!"

He rolled his eyes. "Interesting. Yeah. That's one word for it," Luke groused.

"Don't growl so. Put Rose on for a minute," Daisy said. Luke held the phone to her.

Rose shrugged at him and said, "Hey, Daisy."

"Hey yourself! Congratulations, sugar! I think you've roped that bronco! We'll go to Rome next week and start looking at dresses."

"Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

"Goodness no! A proposal is a definite. Probably by the end of the day. When that boy makes up his mind, it's made up and he starts taking steps. A Marine on a mission, you know."

Rose snickered. "I forgot about that. Most miserable four years of my life," she said. "Well, I need to start getting ready. Expect that phone call before too long."

"I will. If Bo knows yet that Luke didn't come home last night, he'll be layin' for him. It could get ugly, and I'd rather be in church with my cousins than bailing them out of jail for assault. I'll see ya!"

"'Bye, Daisy."

Daisy motioned to Enos to come into the kitchen. The kids were in front of the TV, watching cartoons. She whisked him into the laundry room. "Luke didn't get home last night," she said.

Enos was immediately concerned. "Oh, no. Reckon I need to go look for him?"

Daisy smacked him on the arm. "No! He called from Rose's house just now!"

"Rose's house? What in the world was he doing there?" Daisy just waited. Comprehension dawned. "Possum on a gumbush!" he said.

"Yep. Ain't it wonderful?"

"I guess so. I mean, they're gonna get married, aren't they?"

"I'd say so," Daisy said drily. "But you keep your mouth shut about it."

"I don't talk. You'd better tell Bo to keep _his_ mouth shut!"

"Don't worry. I will."

The phone rang again. Daisy ran to it and looked at the ID. She picked it up and ran back to the laundry room before she answered. "Bo Duke, don't you say a word to Luke this morning. You hear me?"

"How'd you know? Dangit! _I_ wanted to tell you!" Bo was obviously disappointed he didn't get to deliver the choice news of the day. He was worse than any old woman.

"Got it straight from the horse's mouth. I'm serious, Beauregard. Not a peep. He's got to come get some clothes for church, and you'd better make yourself scarce. You can pick at him later about it, and I know you will, but not this morning. Understand?"

"Aw come on, Daisy! After all the grief he's given me over the years?"

"It's Sunday, Bo. Not a word."

"I'll try, Daisy," Bo sounded suspiciously uncooperative.

"You'd better do it, not just try." She hung up the phone, and immediately called Rose back to let her know what happened.

"Bo's already called Daisy this morning," Rose told Luke as he toweled his hair dry.

"Makes me want to use those cusswords I learned in the Marines," Luke said.

"Me too, but Daisy said she told him to lay off for this morning, anyway."

"That'll be the day," he said.

"Run round the back and go in that way. I'll keep you-know-who on the porch," Rose said.

"Don't do it, Rosie. He'll mess with you, too."

"No, he won't. Not for long."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her but jumped out of the car and she made for the porch and knocked. Bo appeared in the doorway, grinning like a possum eating sawbriars.

"Good morning, Rosie!" he said.

"Morning, Beauregard," she answered.

Uh-oh. When Rose, or Daisy, for that matter, called him Beauregard, he was in trouble.

"These late summer mornings are just beautiful, aren't they?" he said.

"They surely are. Glad you're taking this tack because, Beauregard, my sweet, if you say one, just _one_ mumbalin' word to Lucas this morning about his whereabouts last night, you're going to church in traction. Do I make myself clear?"

Bo remembered that strained back, swallowed and nodded. "Absolutely."

"Having cleared that up then, we'll see you in church."

"See you there," Bo said. He occasionally forgot that Rose could flip him like a pancake if she took a notion to do it.

Antioch Church was a small church in the country. Rose and the Dukes had gone there all their lives. Cooter attended Antioch, as did many of the Davenports, and so did the Strates. Everyone was related to nearly everyone else. It was a close, tight-knit congregation, and the Duke boys had long found comfort there, singing the old hymns and praying in the sanctuary. Antioch Cemetery across the road had started as a churchyard, but markers for generations of Dukes, Strates, Davenports and Tisdales made it a fairly large cemetery.

Naturally, everyone had to speak to Luke after church, but Rose could tell he wanted to go to the cemetery. When the crowd had cleared out a bit, she tugged at his arm. "Come on."

Luke's face fell when he said, "Rose, it's been so long, I don't remember where the graves are!" His voice was anguished.

Rose squeezed his hand. "It's all right, honey. I remember. Just follow me." She led the way to the most recent plot bearing the Duke name and fished several tissues from her purse. "I'll give you a few minutes, Luke," she said and handed him the tissues. She stepped back from the graves and walked a little way down the drive. Bo and Daisy saw her from the church and crossed the road to her.

"Luke's at the graves. Give him a minute," Rose said.

Daisy nodded. "He hasn't been back since Uncle Jesse died. I knew he would want to come out here."

"Me too," Rose said. At that she heard Luke calling her and she walked back up the hill. "You all right, sweetheart?"

Wordlessly, he held out an arm to her. She went to embrace him. He held her for a moment and said, "They're all right here. Mama, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sally and now, Uncle Jesse. It's a hard thing," he said, his voice breaking, his blue eyes brimming with tears.

"I know it's got to be, hon. I'm so sorry." She could see he was struggling not to cry. "Don't be brave for me, Luke. You don't have to be. There's no one here. Cry if you need to. I know I did. Come on. Let's sit down on the bench, here." Rose held that strong man as he broke down, his shoulders shaking.

"I miss them all. Mama was s-so beautiful! She couldn't have more babies after I was born. Uncle Jesse said that birthing me nearly killed her. And she sang, Rose. Her voice was so sweet. It's just hard, Rose. So hard." Rose held him until he calmed down.

He wiped his eyes and said, "I guess you think I'm less of a man, now."

"No I don't. I think you're more of one. Bo cried, too, Luke. We came out here the day before Decoration and he sat right here and cried like you did. Daisy was with us that day. We all cried, Luke. You just haven't had the chance. You have to do your grieving eventually. It's going to come out, one way or another. Wipe your nose and eyes and let's go home." He nodded. As they came back down the hill, Bo came and squeezed Luke's shoulder while Daisy took his hand.

The drive back to the homeplace was a mostly silent one. Rose drove as Luke gazed out the window. Occasionally, she reached to touch his hand, but didn't force him to talk.

Luke heaved a great sigh as they turned into the drive. "Thank you, Rosie," he said.

"You're welcome, darlin'."

As Rose and Luke walked under the hickory tree, he stopped. "Rose," he said. "Will you marry me?"

She grinned at him. "Did you even need to ask?" He pulled her close for a long kiss.

Daisy and Bo watched from the kitchen window. "That was a proposal and an acceptance," Daisy said. "Before the end of the day. You owe me a wash and wax on the van."

"At least it's a bet I don't mind losing," Bo said.


	5. Chapter 5: Monday, Monday

**A/N:**_ Hope you're still enjoying the story. A little background here, a little drabble. We get the full story of Luke teaching Rose to fish. And a little foreshadowing. They wouldn't be Dukes if they didn't run into some kind of trouble, somewhere. More on that later. Meanwhile, please R&R. I appreciate it!_

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

**Chapter 5: Monday, Monday**

If anyone had known the reason Rose Turney didn't have her mind on her work Monday morning, they might have been a little more sympathetic. As it was, she sat in front of her computer for 30 minutes without typing a word. Luke had driven over to meet her for lunch in Sweetwater, but no one at the paper saw them.

Several lingering kisses the night before were all they enjoyed, but still, it was well after midnight before Rose got to sleep. Just one time with Luke next to her all night had made sleeping alone a dismal prospect. She was a little surprised at herself at how quickly she became accustomed to sleeping with someone. But when that someone was the man you'd waited for all your life, it surely was a natural thing.

"I'm coming over tonight. You can't keep me away," Luke said in her ear as he left after lunch.

"I wouldn't try. I'll see you."

He kissed her in full view of the passers-by. "You will. Later."

Monday afternoon wasn't much better. Rose was still in dreamland. One of the guys in sports was talking about an upcoming fishing tournament, and Rose's mind went back so many years, to that early summer day when Luke taught her to fish.

* * *

Rose had ridden her bike down to Eagle Creek and was happily playing in the water, tossing cracker crumbs to the minnows in the stream and feeling them nibble her bare toes. School had been out for two blissful days, the weather was gorgeous and Rose's dad had given her permission to come to the creek. He still had final grades to average and send in. Otherwise, he would have been there with her. That was one thing the Turneys loved about Hazzard County. It was small, and children were generally very safe there. Bill Turney was happy his daughter could grow up in the outdoors much as he had done.

Rose was sitting on one of the stepping stones in the creek. The water was cold and felt good to her dusty feet. It was a shallow, fast-moving stream of water right there, but had deep, still pools near the bank where the trees shaded it. She heard a rustling in the trees and the sound of male laughter. She looked up and saw Bo and Luke coming through the woods, poles and tackle boxes in hand. Her little heart stood still.

Bo had already been outdoors so much, his thick blond hair was bleached almost white. It shone gold in the sun, though. Rose smiled at the thought of him in his cap and gown the week before. When Uncle Jesse insisted he get his mind on school, and off cars and girls, Bo was actually a decent student. Nothing wrong with his brain - just his attention span. However, the graduation night party rumors had already filtered down to Rose's class. Rose heard from a friend, whose older sister was at the party, that Bo's behavior had earned him a session in the barn with Uncle Jesse, although no one knew exactly what had transpired there.

Still a little gangly, Bo was starting to fill out in his chest and arms. His cut off shorts were the jeans he had worn out the fall before, when he hit one final growth spurt that added four inches to his height and nearly broke Uncle Jesse's budget keeping him in britches. Daisy had saved the day when she found a cedar chest in the attic with clothing that had belonged to Daniel, Bo's father. The sweaters and plaid shirts were still in good shape and since Bo took his size from his dad, actually were long enough in the arms to fit him. She even salvaged a pair of chinos so he would have something decent to wear to church. Rose had also heard that Bo had a miserable Christmas, except for his annual subscription to some car magazine that Luke got him every year. He didn't get anything but clothes. That _would_ be miserable, Rose thought in her nine-year-old brain. Clothes had to be the worst Christmas presents ever.

Luke had been working part time for Cooter's dad at the garage, and he was glad to be able to spend a beautiful day like this at the fishing hole. A dreamy smile crossed Rose's face as she spotted Luke. He was sooo cute! And so sweet to her. Boys her own age were disgusting, but Luke Duke was everything she thought a _man_ should be. She still liked Bo, and he was real cute, but mostly, he was as annoying as the boys in her class. Generally, though, where Luke was, there Bo was also, so you had to kind of put up with one to get the other.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Bo said when he spotted her. "Can't go anywhere without a bunch of kids messing everything up."

"I was here _first_, Bo Duke!" Rose said.

"Nyahh, nyahh, nyahh," Bo said under his breath.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I swear I'm going to tan your hide, Bo. She's _nine_, for crying out loud! Leave her alone." Honestly, it was like having a nine-year-old for a cousin, sometimes. A precocious one. Just out of the Marines, where he was in the company of men most of the time, Luke found dealing with Bo could be trying to his nerves. He grinned at Rose. "Hi there, Rosie. What'cha doing?"

"Hi Luke. I was feeding the minnows. They like cracker crumbs."

"Yeah, they do. I used to do that, too."

"Ya'll fixing to go fishing?" she asked.

Luke nodded. "Yep. Think we'll catch anything?"

"Mr. Strate said he caught some pretty crappie over by the bank in the deep pool. You might, too." She shot Bo a look. "If that ugly cousin of yours don't scare 'em all off." Rose tossed her head.

Luke fought back a laugh with great difficulty. Rose was one of the few females he had known who did not get red-faced and flustered around Bo. She stared him down like a drill sergeant and gave him a piece of her mind. She was a lot like Daisy in that respect.

"Ugly! Who you callin' ugly, you little brat?" Bo yelled.

"You! And I'm not a brat. You just call me that 'cause you know I'm just nine and still smarter than you are."

"I'll spank your bottom for that one!"

"You come out here and try it." Rose picked up a creek stone. "You'll be sorry!"

Luke, who really just wanted to roll on the ground laughing, felt it was time to intervene. "Rosie, put the rock down. Tell Bo you're sorry you called him ugly. It wasn't a very nice thing to say. Bo, you just need to shut up."

As badly as Rose wanted to clobber Bo with a rock, and a stick, and everything else, for Luke, she would apologize to Bo and even be nice about it. She dropped the stone. "I'm sorry, Bo. I shouldn't have called you ugly." Her tone was sincere but both men had their doubts.

Bo sighed and gave her a sheepish half-smile. "I'm sorry too, Rosie-roo. I shouldn't have been pickin' at you like that. I deserved it." Rose came to the bank and Bo gave her a hug and ruffled her hair.

"That's better," Luke said. "C'mere and give me a hug now." Rose wasn't about to refuse that invitation and hugged him. This was just a perfect day. She'd managed to aggravate Bo and got a hug from Luke. Life was good.

"Can you fish, Rosie?" Luke asked, ignoring the look Bo gave him.

"No. Daddy keeps saying he's going to teach me, but he's always having to go to the school for one reason or another. He can't turn around without the school needing him to do _something_." Rose was close to her father and resented the school taking so much of his time.

"Come on with us, then. I'll teach you."

"Will you Luke? Really?" This had gone from a perfect day to the absolute best day of her nine-year life.

"I sure will. Here. Take my cane pole and we'll go over yonder to the deep pool. Be real quiet, now," he cautioned.

"I will. Just like a mouse."

Bo was disgusted that his day of fishing and telling off-color jokes was about to be ruined. What did nine-year-olds know about being quiet? He rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go off over here, then," he said, and walked to a spot about 20 feet from Luke and Rose.

Luke chuckled a little and showed Rose how to tie the fishing line onto the cane pole, and then fitted it with a bobber. He opened a little box and pulled out a worm. "You want to bait the hook?" he said.

"And touch a _worm_? No way, José!" she said.

Luke laughed. "O.K., O.K. Here's what we'll do." He opened his tackle box and took a plastic worm out of a package. "We'll use this. Will this work?"

Rose examined the pseudo-worm. "Yeah, I'll bait a hook with that, but I ain't touching no worms."

"All right. Be careful and don't stick your fingers."

The hook was baited and Luke showed her how to cast the line. "Now you don't have a rod and reel, so be careful with this line. You don't want to tangle it up. Cast it sort of sidearm, like this," and he demonstrated.

"I see," she said. Luke handed her the pole and she cast the line like a pro.

"Nice," Luke said approvingly. "Now, you just need to wait. Jiggle the line once in a while, though, so it will make the worm move."

"O.K. Luke." Rose sat down on the bank and jiggled the line as instructed as she watched Luke cast his line from a rod and reel.

"Got one!" Bo sang out as his pole bowed a little. He started reeling in the fish. He hauled it in and looked at it. "Just a bream. Dangit." He cut the line and released the fish.

Bo and Luke got several more nibbles. Bo snagged a nice catfish and Luke caught a big crappie. Rose sat, patiently moving her line now and then. Suddenly, the pole was nearly jerked out of her hands.

"You got one!" Luke said. "Careful, now. Just start walking back with it. I'll get him with the net."

"It's probably just an old crawdad," Rose said doubtfully. "Or a tire."

"Not necessarily," Luke answered. "Keep walking back and bringing the line with it. Bo, come over here and help Rose hold that pole."

Bo eased himself up and helped Rose steady the cane pole. Luke finally got the line up and the catch out of the water. He whistled. "Looky here, Rosiebelle! Look at the size of that crappie!" He deftly netted the fish.

"Beginner's luck," Bo said. "But it's still a nice one."

"You want me to clean it for you?" Luke asked.

"No, just cut it loose. Unless you all want it," she answered.

"Heck yeah, we'll take it!" Bo exclaimed. "Fish for supper!"

"O.K., then. Go ahead," Rose said. "What time is it, anyway?"

Luke checked his watch. "Ten after three."

"Oh, shoot. I've gotta go home. Thank you for teaching me to fish, Luke! That was real nice of you. And thanks for helping me get it in, Bo. I 'preciate it."

Luke smiled. Sometimes Rose was so grown-up in her speech and manners. "You're welcome, Rosie. Tell your Mama and Daddy we said hey. And be careful going home."

"I will. Bye, Luke! Bye, Bo!" she yelled as she hopped on her bike to ride home. They waved at her.

* * *

Rose's desk phone rang about that time and she came back to the present. Upon further consideration, that was _still_ one of the best days of her life.

Ten minutes later, her editor, Del McKee, happened by her desk and saw Rose patiently nodding as she talked on the phone. "Yes, Mr. Penn. Absolutely. I understand completely. Yes, I'm sure it's very upsetting. I will. I'll call the people and tell them to leave you alone. Have a nice day." She hung up the phone. "The CIA is under Earl Penn's trailer again."

"They just won't leave him alone, will they?" Dell said.

"Nope. Mr. Penn says they're much worse than the FBI. They make more noise and leave their potato chip bags in the yard." She sighed. "Poor Mr. Penn. I guess I need to call Mary Lee and tell her to go check on her daddy, that he's messed up his meds again."

"Sounds like it. Do the meds really help?"

Rose shrugged. "Well, he still thinks they're under the trailer, regardless, but when he's on his meds, he thinks they're looking for Russian spies, not spying on him."

"You deal with those people so well," Del said.

Rose smiled. "I'll take Tri-County weirdoes over Atlanta weirdoes any day. They're generally not dangerous. And if you tell them you'll make some phone calls, they leave you alone for a while."

"Yeah, when I was at the Orlando paper, we had this one guy call all the time. He was convinced Disney World was a communist plan to take over Florida," Del chuckled.

"You know, Del? He might have been on to something!" Both laughed at this.

"Did you hear about Evan's troubles with the Hazzard city budget?" Del asked her.

"No, what?"

"There's a three million dollar discrepancy in the numbers. He's trying to chase it down, but can't get an unabridged copy of the budget from Hughie Hogg's office."

"And he won't unless he comes in with a court order and a state trooper, ready to arrest Hughie or whoever, for violating the state public records law."

"I know it. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do that."

"You will, though."

Del nodded. "Yeah. Something big is going on over there. Have you heard anything?"

"No, but I'll keep my ears open around town. Has anyone looked down Rick Safiano's back trail?"

"Who, Hogg's deputy mayor? Why?"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know, but the newshound in me tells me he's dirty. I mean, he has to be, or Hughie wouldn't have appointed him deputy mayor. But he gives me the creeps. Saw him in Lloyd's Drugstore the other day. He bumped into me and made my skin crawl. He has dead eyes."

When Rose talked like that, Del listened. Rose flatly denied being psychic and said she really didn't even believe in such things, but Del had found that Rose's "funny feelings" about people tended to be eerily accurate.

"Hmm. I'll have Evan do some nosing around."

"Make sure it's discreet nosing. He doesn't want to set off any alarms. Not with that dude."

Del nodded. "I'll tell him."

Rose thought about the situation on the drive home. It disturbed her. She was so glad she was writing features, like stories about Mrs. Tisdale's prize pink azaleas, not covering city government any more. She'd had enough of that in Atlanta.

* * *

"Now cousin, what I want to know is why did it take you so long to figure out Rose Turney was crazy about you?" Bo was cheerfully razzing Luke about his love life. He had been all afternoon. Luke was becoming weary with it.

"Slow on the uptake, I guess," Luke said.

"Yeah, you were. I knew before you did!"

Luke sat upright in Uncle Jesse's old easy chair. "You _what_?"

"Knew before you did."

"And just how in the hell did you come by that information?" Luke was not pleased.

Bo, however, was smug. "Rose told me."

"She told you? Rose told you. Is that what you said?"

"Uh-huh," Bo replied, grinning cheerfully. "She told me. I had to drag it out of her, but she finally 'fessed up."

"So how did this happen?" Oh, the days he felt like strangling that man…

"Well, it was when we quit dating. I finally just buttonholed her about it and came right out and asked her if she still had a case for you. She said she did."

"What made you ask to start with?"

"C'mon, Luke. I might've been born at night, but not last night. I could tell. We always had a good time together, but when I kissed her, I knew. And she would never let me make love to her. I wanted to, but nothing doing. Hell, I was considering proposing to her! We could have made it work, but she wanted you, not me. What could I do? Can't force it. I found that out the first two times! So we quit dating."

"I didn't know that. Not any of it. Except that you two went out for a while. How'd that come about, anyway?"

"Two lonesome people. It started just so we'd have somebody to go to the movies with. I wasn't looking, for sure, and neither was Rose. But we went out and found out we had a good time together. So it was a regular thing."

Luke cocked his head at Bo. "Do you love her?"

Bo thought about that for a minute. "Well, yeah. I love her. But not like in a wild, romantic way. I mean, she's not hard to look at, but shoot. I don't know. It's different than how you two feel about each other. Obviously, since you spent the night at her place. I never did."

Luke leaned back in the chair and looked at Bo. "She was a virgin," he said quietly.

Bo's eyes widened. "Is that so? Well, I'll be… Can't say I'm completely surprised. I always sort of suspected she might be, but well, well. She always was strong in her convictions."

"No doubt."

Bo grinned. "First time for everything, cousin!" he said brightly.

"Shut up, Bo."

Bo raised his hands, as if in surrender. "No offense meant to either one of you."

"I'm going over to her place," Luke said, as he got up. "I want her to come look at cars with me."

That alone told Bo how Luke felt. Never had Luke even talked about buying a car without lengthy discussions with him about it.

"All right, cousin. See you after while," was all Bo said.

* * *

Rose pulled into her driveway and saw Luke's truck sitting there. He was on the porch swing, reading the Herald.

"Couldn't wait to see me?" she said.

"That and I was about to kill Bo."

"He hasn't shut up yet?"

Luke shook his head. "No, and I'm afraid he won't. But I don't want to think about him now. Let's ride over to Cartersville. I want to look at cars. Will you go with me?"

"Sure," Rose said, unaware of the momentous nature of the question.

"O.K. That's good. You're not too tired, are you?"

"No, I'm fine. Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6: Questions and Answers

**A/N:** _A little background, a little more foreshadowing, a little insight into the relationship. I enjoy filling in the blanks of events I refer to, so if you're tired of reading flashbacks, let me know. Hope you all are still liking this story. Please R&R!_

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

**Chapter 6: Questions and Answers**

When Luke and Rose got back from Cartersville, it was dark. Rose looked at the sky. "Full moon. That has to explain all the nutty calls we've had today."

Luke laughed. "Had some good ones?"

"Yeah. Come on in," she said.

This time, the cats appeared and Luke laughed as he saw them. "What do you feed those cats? Concrete? They're huge!"

"They like their groceries, that's for sure," Rose replied. "You hungry?"

"A little," he said.

"Let's see what I've got in the larder," Rose said. She rummaged. "I've got some vegetable soup I made Friday. How about that and a grilled cheese sandwich?"

"That sounds good." He followed Rose into the kitchen. As she made the sandwiches and set the soup pot on to heat, he said, "Bo actually told me something interesting today."

"Is that so?" Rose snickered.

"Yeah. He said he had known for a while that you cared about me, not him."

Rose paused in stirring the soup. "Well, yeah. I had to be honest with him. He was talking about places that looked like good honeymoon destinations. I was afraid he was going to pop the question and I'd have to say no. I really didn't want to do that to him." She shrugged and resumed her work.

Luke thought that over. "So how do you really feel about him? I mean, you had at least a semi-physical relationship with him."

Rose looked over at Luke. His blue eyes were troubled. This had to be coming from the conversation they had about Bo's appeal to women. "I'll tell you exactly what I told Daisy, and you can feel free to ask her. I love Bo with all my heart, but I'm not _in_ love with him. We started going out because we were lonely and figured neither of us would screw over the other one. We trusted each other. That was all there was to it."

Luke sighed. "That's pretty much what Bo told me. I guess I just needed to hear it from you."

"Lucas, I never figured you for the insecure type."

He raised an eyebrow. "Normally, I'm not. But this is all happening so fast, and there was so much I wasn't here to know."

"If you'd been here, we'd have been together sooner," Rose laughed.

"Maybe so. But I want this relationship. I want it more than I ever thought I could want one. I've got to be sure of my ground."

Rose sighed this time. She went to Luke and laid her hand against his cheek. "The ground is rock solid under me. My mind is made up. You're here with me, not that flighty cousin of yours. Does that tell you anything?"

"Yeah, I guess it does." He kissed her.

"Supper's ready," she said.

As they ate, Rose decided to tell Luke about the issues with the Hazzard city budget. "I don't know where it's all leading to, but this sounds pretty serious to me," she concluded.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, $3 million is a lot of money anywhere, but especially in a town the size of Hazzard."

"I know it. Bigger cities might get grants for that much, but Hazzard? Where is that money?"

"Better question: How did Hughie hide it and what's he going to do with it?"

"That is the big question, no doubt. Have you ever seen that deputy mayor, Rick Safiano?"

Luke thought a moment. "Dark, slicked-down hair, 5'10 or so? Beady black eyes?"

She snickered. "That's him."

"Yeah. I ran into him over at Cooter's one afternoon. It was when I was home when Uncle Jesse passed. Dude was having some work done on his car. He didn't like the estimate Cooter gave him and when Cooter explained he would have to order the part from Atlanta, which would take a while, and that it was a pretty involved repair, the guy got really, really uptight. That was just after Hughie was elected mayor, right?"

"Right. Like I told Del: I know he's crooked because Hughie wouldn't have him in the office if he weren't. But what kind of crooked?"

Luke's face was somber. "Rosie, $3 million? That's Mafia-level money."

She nodded. "Yeah. I know. You suppose Safiano is connected, you know, that way?"

"If it were less money, I'd say no. But this much? Highly likely. There's no way Hughie would know how to hide that kind of money. But for someone who's done it for years, well, it wouldn't be a problem."

"My thoughts, too. Hughie may be completely corrupt and unprincipled, but it's small town corruption. He would have to get someone who's done this before on a larger level to do it right."

"How did Evan spot the discrepancy, anyway?"

"Well, Hughie gave out copies of the preliminary budget at a city council meeting, oh, four months ago or so. It was itemized, looked legit and all. Last week, when the council met to approve the budget, everyone got copies, but they were different. All the amounts had changed. The budget was ostensibly for the same amount, but the numbers didn't add up. Evan's been trying to get the line-by-line copy of the budget and he'll probably have to get a judge to help him. It's under the public records law, but Hughie doesn't want to give it up."

Luke snorted. "What a surprise. I'll bet no one except Evan even gave that budget a second look, either, which is what Hughie was counting on."

"That's kind of the conclusion we've come to in the newsroom. I'm afraid I'm going to get dragged into helping Evan cover this because I covered city government in Atlanta."

"Is it too late to resign?" Luke joked.

"I wish. You remember what Uncle Jesse used to say about stirring a pile of chicken manure?"

"You mean, the more you stir it, the worse it stinks?"

"Yep. This is exactly like a huge pile of chicken poo, and it's going to get mighty stinky before it's cleaned up."

"Sounds like it," Luke said drily. "But there's not a thing we can do about it at nine o'clock at night. So you go relax and I'll clear the dishes and straighten up the kitchen a little."

Rose grinned. "You're such a dear. But do me a favor. While you're in town, without asking questions, see what you can pick up. Something like this won't stay a secret in a town like Hazzard for long. Someone is going to sense something in the wind and then the rumors will start."

"Will do. I always wanted to be a detective," Luke answered with a smile.

"Well, here's your chance." Both laughed.

The television was on, but Rose wasn't really watching it. She was dozing on the sofa while Luke tidied the kitchen. He eased on to the sofa beside her and propped her feet in his lap. He started rubbing her feet and Rose opened one eye. "Now that feels good. I'll give you an hour to quit."

Luke grinned at her. "Do you like having your back rubbed, too?"

"Oh yeah. Love it."

"Good to remember, then." As Rose slipped into a light doze again, Luke arranged himself so he was lying next to her on the sofa, cradling her body against his. This was, indisputably, the life. He remembered what Rose had said about him saving her from Junior Clayton, and thought about that night.

* * *

The fall air was crisp and clear and Luke was riding with the windows down. He spotted several cars at the high school and remembered it was homecoming night. It was about 10 he thought, when the clock at the courthouse chimed the hour. Luke slowed down a little. With all the young people at the game and dance, there were bound to be more people out and about. Didn't want to run up on someone in the dark, for sure. As he made the turn to the south side of the square, at the park, he heard what sounded like a scream. "What the…?" he said to himself. Wonder if one of the girls had come across a possum or something? He pulled to the curb and hopped out of the car.

He heard another scream and "You leave me alone, Junior! Turn me loose!" Oh God, that was Rose! Luke cleared the park's fence and ran across the grass in record time. He rounded the Confederate monument to see Junior Clayton, nearly on top of Rose across a park bench. They couldn't be seen from the street.

"Quit screaming!" Junior ordered. "I'm not gonna get you pregnant or anything." He was apparently trying to unzip Rose's dress.

"Get off me, Junior! Stop it! I'll tell my Daddy and he's gonna kill you!"

"You ain't tellin' nobody nothing. You hear me?"

"Stop it! Get your filthy hands off me!" Rose was struggling mightily. Junior told her in explicit language what he did want to do, however, and a white hot anger consumed Luke when he heard the words. He sprinted to the bench and grabbed Junior by the shirt collar. He dragged him off, throwing him to the ground.

"Get up, you sorry little sonofabitch! Get up and pick on somebody your own size!"

Rose was too shocked by her sudden rescue to say a word at first. Luke! It was Luke! Anyone would have been welcomed, but this was Luke. He might not have been riding a white horse, but he was her hero, just the same.

"Get outta here, Luke Duke! This ain't none of your business!"

"I'm makin' it my business, you no account piece of trash. You want to paw somebody, come here and try to paw me. I'll kick your sorry ass from here to the Choctaw County line. You're such a big man, then get up! Take a swing at me. I swear to God, I wish you would." Luke wasn't yelling. His voice was cold and deadly. Rose realized he was in a killing rage.

She found her voice. "Don't, Luke. You're on probation and he's not worth going to jail over. He just rumpled my dress some. He didn't hurt me." Rose was amazed at how calm she sounded.

"She's right about one thing, you piece of crap. You're sure as hell not worth going to jail over."

Junior had managed to pick himself up and Luke walked to him, stopping within an inch of his nose.

"You remember I was in the Marines, boy?"

Junior nodded.

"Well, when I was there, I learned a hundred ways to tear apart a sorry carcass like yours with my bare hands. I'd take real pleasure in practicing on you. So you look over your shoulder. I'll be watching you and if you so much as look cross-eyed at Miss Rose Turney again, or any other girl in Hazzard, they're going to be picking up pieces of what's left of you after I tie you to the back of the General Lee and drag you through Bronson Canyon. You hear me, boy?"

Junior nodded again.

"That's good. That's real good." Luke deliberately turned his back on the kid and went to Rose. "You all right?"

"Y-yeah," was all she got out before the sobs started. Luke took his denim jacket off and put it around her shoulders. "It's all right now. He ain't gonna bother you again. Let's get you home, sugar." He put a protective arm around her when Junior's voice sounded.

"I ain't the perv! _You_ are! You've got a case for her. I knew she was always mooning over you, but you've got the hots for her, too! She ain't legal. Man, wait'll I tell Rosco one of the Duke boys is messing around with a 15-year-old! How you think _that'll_ look for your probation?"

"Wait here," Luke said to Rose and went back to the boy, arrogant in what he thought he knew. "Think you're pretty smart, do you, boy?"

"I know you two are doin' something that ain't legal, is what I know."

"You don't know a damn thing, you little twirp. You go ahead and tell Rosco whatever the hell you want to tell him. And then I'll tell him what _I_ saw. He don't like me, but let me tell you what he likes even less: rape. It might hurt his soul to do it, but he'd rather arrest you for an attempted rape that someone saw than try to bring charges against me for statutory rape that no one has ever seen a sign of. You roll the dice, big boy. Go right ahead."

"This ain't over."

"Yeah, it is. Or you're gonna learn the meaning of 'castration' first hand. It's over. Now get your sorry ass outta here."

Something in Luke's eyes obviously impressed the boy. He left.

Luke went back to Rose, who was sniffling by now. He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket. "Here now, hon. It's all right now. I'm gonna take you home."

"Don't tell my Daddy, please!" she begged.

"Now Rose, he's got to know. You don't have to say a word. I'll do all the talking. I know you're embarrassed. Did you two go to the dance together?"

Rose wiped her nose. "Not really. I went with my girlfriends. But I had a headache and they didn't want to leave and Junior said he'd be glad to walk me home. He's never laid a hand on me before, or even acted like he liked me or anything! I thought he was just being nice." She sniffed again. "But I'll make sure he never gets a date at school again."

Luke chuckled. "I imagine your daddy will take care of that."

When they arrived at the Turney home, Rose handed him his jacket and said, "I'll have Mama wash your handkerchief and I'll give it back to you.

"Don't worry about it. Daisy keeps me and Bo in handkerchiefs for birthdays and Christmas." He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Luke. Only that doesn't sound like enough."

"It's enough, Rose. I'm just glad I was there."

"Me too." And with that, Rose knew she just couldn't love anyone else as much as she loved Lucas K. Duke.

Luke, for his part, would have rather faced a company of Marine drill sergeants out for his ass than Bill Turney with what he had to tell him, but it had to be done.

Bill was obviously plenty angry, but he held out his hand. "Luke, I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you did. You're a fine man. You remember that."

Coming from a man as well-respected as Bill Turney, that statement made Luke feel good.

"Mr. Turney, I'm just glad I was there. You know we, me, Bo, Daisy and Uncle Jesse, all think a lot of you and your family. I'm-I'm just glad I was there."

"I am too. Be careful going home, now."

"I will, sir," he said, and nodding, walked out the door. The drive home gave Luke plenty of time to think. Rose was just a sweet kid who had a crush on him, right? Sure, he had known her for years. They went to church together. Bill and his Uncle Jesse were great friends so she was around the farm quite a bit. Still, when Luke thought about Rose, he kind of got a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Attracted to a 15-year-old? No way. That put him squarely in Chester the Molester category. He'd never before found teenagers to be attractive — not since he was one, anyway. That was just nonsense. He was just feeling protective of her because of that big ox attacking her.

Monday morning, the news was that Junior Clayton was in juvenile hall, but no one except Rose's friends, her family and the Dukes knew why. And they weren't talking.

* * *

Thinking over these things, Luke held Rose tighter. She woke up. "You're squooshing me."

"Sorry, babe," he said as he loosened his grip. "I think you're wore slap out. Ready for bed?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I am." She sat up and stretched. "You comin'?"

"Keep me out," he answered.

"Too tired to even try," was her response. She shuffled to her bedroom and put on her pajamas. She was asleep by the time Luke had the lights turned off. It was his turn to watch her sleep in the moonlight and he was a happy man.


	7. Chapter 7: Running with the Night

**A/N:** _Thanks for continuing to R&R! Also thanks to Dixie Davenport for encouraging me to write in a little more background. 'Preciate it! As always, more R&R is welcomed!_

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 7: Running with the Night**

Rose knew Evan had acquired the copy of the complete budget, but only after presenting a court order to Hughie Hogg from Judge Karen Hill. Judge Hill was a good choice because she was fair, and she despised Hughie's underhanded ways. Rose hadn't heard much about the situation since Evan got the budget, which really didn't bother her. There was a reason she got out of covering city politics. With fall coming on, there was the usual onslaught of stories about back to school, autumn recipes, and where to see the best in fall colors around the state. Writing these stories was rarely hazardous to one's health.

On Thursday, she had lunch with one of her co-workers. Melanie knew something was up with Rose and she intended to find out what it was.

"Spill, Rosie. I know something is going on with you," Melanie said.

Rose grinned. "Now what gave you that idea?"

"I've worked with you for five years. I know you. New man in your life?"

At this, Rose blushed and starting laughing.

Melanie pounced. "I knew it! Who is it? Anyone I know?"

"You've heard me talk about him," Rose answered.

Melanie thought a moment. "Not that good-looking blond you dated a while back? Not him, is it? I thought you two had agreed it wasn't working."

"We did. It's not him. It's his cousin."

"His cousin? Cousin? The only cousin I remember you talking about is…" Realization dawned. "HIM? Are you serious? It's HIM? The one who lives in Wyoming? The one you've had it so bad for all these years?"

"Yep," Rose replied. "It's him. He's back in Hazzard for good. He had an accident and broke his ankle badly, so that ended him being a smoke jumper. He came home Saturday and I went with his cousin Daisy to the Atlanta airport to pick him up."

"And the sparks just flew, right off the bat?" Melanie was excited.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I have to say they did."

"Wow. Amazing how what's really wrong when you're 15 and 27 is OK when you're 32 and 44."

"Funny how that works out, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. So, you two just hit it right off? How does the other cousin, oh, what's his name? Bo. That's it. How does Bo feel about this?"

"I think he's O.K. with it. His ego probably is a little bruised, but he and Luke love each other like brothers, so he wants what will make Luke happy. And we both knew we didn't have a future as a couple, so why keep on?"

"That's good he's not giving you two any grief about being together. So, do you think this is a long-term thing?" Melanie asked.

"It better be. Luke proposed on Sunday and I accepted."

Melanie's mouth fell open. "You're kidding." Was this a pod person? Rose had the reputation of being absolutely steady and level-headed. Doing something this impetuous was completely out of character for her. Melanie could only conclude this had to be love.

"Nope. We were coming in from church on Sunday and he asked me."

"Kind of sudden isn't it?"

"Sudden? I've been planning this since I was like, four!" Rose laughed. "No, sudden isn't the word I'd use. A successful conclusion to a long campaign, maybe." She grinned at her friend.

"Have you told your folks? What did your mom say?"

"Yeah, I told them. Mama said, 'no surprise there.' Daddy said he had a feeling this would happen. He said he had a sneaking suspicion that when we saw each other again, that there wouldn't be any questions."

"The age difference doesn't bother them? What about kids?"

Rose shrugged. "Mama said if we can deal with the age difference, they can. As for kids, well, you know I decided years ago that kids weren't for me."

"Does Luke want a family?"

"He said if we wanted a family, maybe we could look into adopting an older child. He said he didn't want to be 60 years old when his kids got out of high school and everyone thought he was the grandfather at graduation." She laughed.

Melanie nodded. "He has a point."

"He does. Daisy and I are going to Rome on Saturday to look at dresses."

"No way! Have you set a date, then?"

"No. I'm thinking late October or early November, though. I guess it really depends on if I can find a dress and if it can be ready that soon," Rose answered.

"What kind of wedding can you have on such short notice?"

"A small one. Neither of us wants some huge blowout. We're going to have it at Antioch. It's such a pretty church, and the windows are beautiful. Nothing fancy. Just family and friends and cake and punch in the fellowship hall. I'm not going into debt over a wedding. Doesn't make any sense."

"Now that sounds like the practical, no-nonsense Rose I know," Melanie said. "Have you thought about a honeymoon?"

"Luke wants to go somewhere warm, which suits me. I love the beach. I think he's thinking about Aruba. Works for me! When he and Bo were on the stock car circuit, they both made a lot of money. Luke insisted Bo use his accountant, who invested wisely for them, and they've done really well. It's been a blessing."

"But Bo still lives out on that farm! I can't believe it," Melanie said.

"Yeah, but he's made so many improvements. And that farm is home. It's the only home he remembers, since his parents died when he was so young. He's had the house insulated and sided, and enlarged the kitchen, added an extra bath – lots of stuff. There's a small apple and peach orchard out where Uncle Jesse used to grow corn, and some scuppernong vines and berry bushes. The mortgage has been paid for years, and Uncle Jesse had a big garden every year and took care of the fruit, but he didn't have to farm for a living anymore. He had enough to do to keep him busy and happy, but without having to worry about finances. Bo and Luke made sure of that."

"That's so good. You hear so much about older people being neglected by their children. I'm so glad they took such good care of their uncle."

"I am too. Tells you a lot about the kind of men they are."

"Yeah, but didn't you tell me they had been on probation for running moonshine?"

"Long, long time ago, back in the late seventies and early eighties."

"What happened? I thought they were good, church-going boys."

"They were, and are." Rose checked her watch. "It's twenty till two. I'll tell you the story on the drive back."

"I want to hear this," Melanie said.

* * *

Uncle Jesse sat at the kitchen table, head in his hands. He was looking at the bank statement. They could buy groceries or pay the mortgage. But not both. There just wasn't enough. Bo could get a discount at the Hazzard market where he worked part time, but even that wouldn't keep four people fed for the whole month. Then there were the medical bills. Bo had wrapped Luke's car around a tree and had broken his left arm and collarbone, and cracked his pelvis. It could have been so much worse, but it still required surgery and the hospital wasn't nearly as accommodating about payment as Doc Appleby. Daisy had been able to get a job at the Boar's Nest, which Jesse hated, because he felt like she was exposing herself in those hot pants and high heels.

The hard truth was that the mortgage had to be paid to keep a roof over their heads, and the bit leftover would go to the electric company. Jesse was figuring on his notepad. Dry beans, rice, cornmeal and potatoes were cheap. There were a few turnips left in the field for greens. The hens were still laying so they had eggs, and Maude was giving milk. They had sold her calf three months before. Maybe they could scrape by. He rose from the table and went outside to feed the goats.

Bo and Luke had come in and saw the statement and Jesse's figures on the table. Luke scrutinized them carefully. "We're in trouble, Bo." He showed his cousin the numbers.

Bo was sober. "We've got to pay the mortgage or Boss will foreclose in a heartbeat. But we've gotta eat and with my arm, I can't even work right now! What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Luke said. "But we can't let Uncle Jesse know we know, either. You know how proud he is. He wouldn't like it a bit if he thought we felt he couldn't take care of us."

Bo nodded. "I know that's right. Let's go where we can talk without him overhearing us. He's got ears like a bobcat."

Luke agreed. "Let's walk down to the creek." They left the house quietly, without Jesse knowing what they had seen.

The men sat and talked. Bo said, "We need quick money. Like in a couple of weeks. That's the only thing that would really help, but where can you make quick money around this place?"

They looked at each other simultaneously. Bo said, "Make a batch and make a run?"

"It may be the only thing we can do. But if Uncle Jesse finds out, it won't matter that we're both grown. He's liable to take a belt after the both of us. He's told us he didn't want us doing that."

"Over and over. But I don't think he figured on having to decide on whether to buy groceries or pay the mortgage," Bo answered.

"Yeah. I know he didn't."

There was silence for a moment, then Bo said, "Tilly's still running." Tilly was Uncle Jesse's old night runner. Painted a matte black, the 1972 Ford Galaxie 500 would fly like a jet plane on wheels. Jesse loved that old car and wouldn't have taken a million dollars for it.

"Yeah," Luke said. "I know. I also know Laddie Tisdale is still making shine. Wonder how much he'd pay us to deliver it for him? Making it _and_ running it might be too risky, but surely we could run a few deliveries for Laddie."

"Let's ask him," Bo answered.

"Boys, I'm glad you came by," Laddie Tisdale said. They were sitting on the front porch of his ramshackle farm house. "Now, have you told Jesse what you're doing?"

Bo shook his head and explained the situation, concluding with, "He doesn't want us running, but he can't pay the bills, and he sure won't take charity."

"He's a proud man, is Jesse Duke," Laddie replied. "I don't have a vehicle that would make the runs anymore. But you say Tilly still runs. That's a car, right there. Built like a tank. See, the trouble is you can't trust nobody to make the runs without them taking a gallon or two for themselves. That's fine if it's part of the payment, but they want the pay _and_ the liquor. That just ain't no way to treat somebody. No way a'tall to do business."

"We don't want to keep any of it, Laddie," Luke said. "We just need the money."

"Well, you'd surely be helping me out if you would make the deliveries for me. I've got three coming up, and I was just wondering who might do them for me. Yep, I'm real pleased you boys came to talk to me. Glad I could help you out like you're helping me out."

"When's the first delivery?" Bo asked.

"End of the week. Fellers comin' in from Choctaw County who want it. It's under the haymow in the barn back there. All you have to do is load it up and meet them with it, take the money and bring it to me. I'll give you your delivery cut and you go home. That's all there is to it."

"We'll see you about 10 Friday night. That good?" Luke said.

"Fine, just fine." Laddie told them where to meet the buyers and they left.

The Friday delivery went smoothly, and Bo and Luke were able to roll Tilly out of the barn and back in without any trouble. A mid-week delivery went well too, and their pay covered the mortgage payment.

Luke, feeling jittery, thought they should stop while they were ahead and tell Laddie to find someone else to make the last run.

"C'mon Luke, we said we'd do it," Bo said. "The other two times went all right."

"Yeah, but that just makes it even worse," Luke answered. "I've just got a bad feeling about this delivery. One thing Uncle Jesse did teach us was if something doesn't feel right, it's probably not. This run doesn't feel right. Something's up."

"You're just getting yourself worked up, Luke. There ain't nothing going on with this run."

"I hope you're right," was all Luke said.

On the last run, Bo and Luke waited nervously for the customers to to meet them. They were talking quietly, when a voice in the backseat said, "I thought this is what you two were doing."

Both turned in shock. "Daisy!" Bo hissed. "What in the world are you doing back there? You ain't got no business being here!"

"I ought to tan your hide," Luke whispered.

"But you won't. Have you been trying to get money for the mortgage?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah," Luke whispered. Headlights showed far down the dark road. "Daisy," he said, "I've had a bad feeling about this run. Listen, if anything goes wrong, I'll pound on the hood twice. You get in the front seat now. If I pound on the hood, leave us and drive out of here as fast as you can. They'll never catch you in Tilly. We'll be O.K. But you've got to run, because if you're caught by the cops, you go to jail too, and Uncle Jesse would disown me and Bo. All right? Will you do it if you have to?"

"I don't know, Luke," she said.

"You've got to, Daisy." That was Bo. "You can't be found here, and neither can that car, because it belongs to Uncle Jesse. If you have to cut out of here, drive back home, cut the engine in the yard and roll it back into the barn. You can do it."

"O.K. Bo. I'll do my best."

"That's a girl," he said, as she climbed into the front seat and crouched low.

The car pulled up and three men exited the vehicle. Luke unloaded the trunk while Bo talked to the men. As the money changed hands, voices from the woods said, "Sheriff's Department! Freeze!" and flashlights showed through the trees. Luke immediately pounded on the hood and although Daisy was terrified, she gunned the big V-8 and peeled out in reverse. She threw the vehicle into a donut that scattered dirt and gravel for yards around and Tilly screamed down the road into the night.

Bo and Luke sighed with relief. Daisy was out of danger, at least. They held their hands up and could hear a brief discussion about whether the officers would give chase, but they decided to keep the known perpetrators and catch the driver another day, perhaps.

Their public defender advised the men to explain the situation and throw themselves on the mercy of the court, hoping their clean records would turn the tide.

The Sweetwater County judge listened to Bo and Luke and cleared his throat. He had grown up in similar circumstances and had he needed to, might have done the same thing. But the law was the law, and these boys had broken it.

"I am not insensitive to your situation," Judge Doyle said. "But transporting illegal liquor is serious. However, you have been honest with me, the arresting officers said you did not resist and you have been model prisoners during your 10 days in jail. You also have clean records, otherwise. I am therefore inclined to be more lenient than I normally would. You have each served 10 days of what is normally a 90-day sentence. I am suspending the rest of the jail time and sentence you both to five years' probation. In that time, if you are caught with a firearm or committing any other illegal act, you will immediately be returned to the Sweetwater County Jail to serve the remainder of your jail sentence, after you serve whatever time your sentence requires in Hazzard County. You will be required to make a monthly report to the Hazzard County probation officer. Failure to do so will also violate the terms of your probation. Gentlemen, do not make me regret my leniency. Good luck to you both."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Luke murmured and they were released from custody.

* * *

"Wow. That's some story," Melanie said. "They completed their probation, I take it?"

"Oh yeah," Rose answered. "They had a few scrapes and near-misses along the way, which is par for the course for those two. But they did complete the terms of their probation, and have clean records now."

"What did your dad say about it when they were arrested? I know he and Jesse were friends."

"Obviously, he wasn't happy about it, seeing as how he knew what a crush I had on Luke, but he understood the circumstances and really blamed it on J.D. Hogg. If Boss Hogg hadn't been so manic to screw over that family in any way he could, they would have probably been able to talk about the mortgage. In any other bank, in any other small town, they could have worked something out. Just not in Hazzard. Even in Choctaw County, which, Lord knows, has had its problems with corrupt politicians, they could have worked something out. First State Trust has a branch in Choctaw and the president knew Jesse for years. He offered to transfer the mortgage, but some obscure statute in the Hazzard County property laws says land in the county must be financed through a bank in the county. So they were stuck. And that was when it was business suicide to try to compete with J.D. Hogg in anything."

"It's so sad how one person managed to mess up so many lives," Melanie said. "I started hearing stories about Boss Hogg the day I moved to Sweetwater. I can't believe he stayed in power as long as he did."

"Money talks," Rose answered. "That's why I'm hoping Evan can really dig up some dirt on Hughie. Hazzard has to get the Hogg family out of local politics if they ever want to move into the 21st century."

"I know it. The arrest didn't much affect your feelings for Luke, though, did it?"

Rose laughed. "Not hardly. I was convinced he and Bo had been unjustly accused, and were just victims of a set-up. In some ways they were, but I wasn't going to admit they were at fault in any way. They had been railroaded, as far as I was concerned."

"You were stubborn then and still are," Melanie said.

"Yep."

As they went into the newsroom, Rose could see what was obviously a pow-wow going on in Del's office. He saw her come in and motioned her into the room. Evan was there, along with another man.

"Rose, this is Special Agent John Brasher from the FBI, Atlanta office," Del said. "Agent Brasher, this is Rose Turney. She covered the restaurant inspection scandal in Atlanta in 1997."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Turney," Agent Brasher said.

"Thank you. O.K. Del. This must mean Evan's caught a break in the story. What's up?"

"We found the money," Evan said.

"Where?" Rose asked.

Evan explained, "Well, Judge Hill suggested I call the FBI, so I did. They started tracking Hughie's banking transactions. A deposit of $3 million showed up in a bank in Las Vegas 21 days ago, and disappeared right after. The feds think they've tracked it to an offshore account."

"Wow. What else?"

"The account is for a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and the trustee/administrator of the account is none other than Rick Safiano."

Rose's mouth dropped open. "Unbelievable" was all she could say.

"Believe it," Del said drily.

"We're looking down Mr. Safiano's back trail," Agent Brasher said. "It should come as no surprise to anyone that we're confident he has connections to the crime syndicate."

"So you could be looking at a RICO case against Safiano and possibly Hughie Hogg?" Rose asked.

"Absolutely," Brasher answered. "Hogg's small-town naivete has backfired on him. There's a paper trail he didn't bother to cover because he didn't think anyone would look."

Rose snickered evilly. "If Safiano finds that out, his 'associates' might take care of Hughie for us."

"It also means we've got to be even more on our guard," Del said. "We can't tip our hand. Don't talk about this outside this room. And Rose, I'm going to need you in this. We could have the biggest story the Herald has ever covered."

Evan grinned at Rose. "Looks like the Atlanta Bird Dog has been pulled out of retirement."

She just grimaced.


	8. Chapter 8: Dangerous Reminders

**A/N:** _Continuing thanks for the reviews! This is turning in a direction I didn't exactly expect it to, but we're in Hazzard County, right? Expecting the unexpected is part and parcel of it. LOL. Hope you're still enjoying the ride. I am! P.S. The pear recipe is genuine. IM me if you'd like it!_

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 8: Dangerous Reminders**

When Luke knocked on Rose's door that night, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Considering what she was working on, she was getting a little paranoid.

"Who is it?" she called.

"Who do you think it is?" came Luke's voice, much to Rose's relief.

She opened the door for him and quickly shut and locked it.

"What in the world is going on?" he said, seeing she was obviously jumpy.

"Evan found the budget money. The FBI traced it to an offshore account in the Caymans. A special agent was in Del's office this afternoon. They're talking about a RICO case."

Luke's blue eyes widened. "RICO? Oh, my Lord. That could be bad."

"Real bad. And Del's pulled me into working on it with Evan."

"I don't like that," he said.

"Me either," Rose answered, "But what can I do? It's part of my job, and if covering this can nip the Mafia presence in Hazzard now, a lot of people will sleep a lot safer at night. Including me."

"Those people don't play."

"No, they don't. Why do you think I started taking martial arts? I realized in a hurry that covering this stuff in Atlanta could be dangerous. Don't want anybody sneaking up on me and me not prepared to defend myself."

"Yeah, but these scuzzwads are way worse than your average Atlanta thug."

"I know it. That's why we've got to keep our poking around on the QT. Have you heard anything around town?"

"I haven't, but Daisy told me something real interesting yesterday. She was at the Hazzard market and two guys were talking about the sock mill getting started up again, but no one had been called back who got laid off. She also said the guys had noticed a lot of activity over at Tumlin Town, where the mill village used to be."

Rose's brow furrowed in thought. "The houses are still standing, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Boss intended to raze them all and put something else there, but never did it."

"So Hughie owns that land?"

"Mmm-hmm. Boss bought it years ago when the mill was sold and they didn't provide housing anymore. Gosh, but that's been a long time," Luke said. "I doubt people even really remember when there was a town there. Miz Tisdale would, though."

Rose nodded. "I think I need to go see her. Wasn't it a stroke of genius to install her as the head of the Hazzard County Archives? She remembers everything. She's got to be close to 90. I think I'm going to need to start checking business permits, too. This may be exactly what we're looking for."

Luke had never seen Rose the Atlanta Bird Dog in action and shook his head. "I'm not familiar with this version of you, Rosie."

"Well, you were off fighting fires when I was in Atlanta and doing this stuff every day. Started all these gray hairs, let me tell you," she answered.

"I think I like it," he grinned wolfishly. "It's sexy."

"Don't get too used to it. As soon as this is over, I go back gladly to being the reporter who covers the quilt competition at the county fair. That's plenty of excitement for me."

Luke laughed. "I hear those ladies can get really agitated about those quilts, though."

"They can. We've had some near misses where fights nearly started. I always tell Del to make sure the police reporter is around so we can cover it in case one of those dear souls takes a swing at another one."

He laughed again. "That's one of the many things I love about you, Rose. You're never dull."

"Neither is Hazzard County."

"Never has been. I know I sound like a beggin' hound dog, but do you have any real food here? I think all Bo keeps in the house is Cheerios, Pop-Tarts, nacho cheese Bugles and diet Sundrop." Luke even sounded hungry.

Rose chuckled. "That sounds about right. Yeah, I've been to the store. What do you want?"

"You fix it, I'll eat it," he replied.

"All righty, then. Have a seat and watch TV. This may take a little while."

Luke said, "I'll be glad to help, if you need it."

"That's sweet, but I can handle it. It's been a while since I've cooked a whole meal for more than just one person, and I kind of enjoy it." Rose had been to the store with the idea that she would probably be cooking for two more often, so she was prepared. And this was a chance to really show some culinary skill.

Luke could hear a great deal of chopping and so forth in the kitchen, and a half hour or so later, the whole house was filled with delicious aromas. He wasn't sure what was on the menu, but it certainly smelled wonderful.

A little while later, Rose called him to the table. A green salad sat in a bowl on the table, with toppings ready. "The pork chops need to rest so we can eat our salad while they do," she said.

After the salads were done, Rose brought Luke his plate. "Pork chops with Asian pear sauce, brown and wild rice and stir-fried veggies."

"Wow! I can't believe you got this all together so quickly! It looks delicious," Luke said.

"I hope it's good. Don't get too excited, though. The veggies were frozen and I have a rice cooker. Handy little gadget I picked up in an Asian grocery store in Atlanta."

"Still..." He took a bite. Rose looked at him anxiously. He nodded. "Absolutely delicious. Daisy could always cook, but nothing like this ever came out of her kitchen."

Rose laughed. "She just didn't have this recipe. I got it from a press kit the National Pear Growers Board sent me at the paper. It's easy. Glad you like it, though."

"I do. I don't know what I'll do about your cooking, though. If it's always this good, I'll outgrow every pair of jeans I've got in a month!"

"This isn't an every night supper. I try to stay away from junk, but I don't always cook a big meal."

"Another reason I'm surprised you were able to get Bo out of the living room. He normally stays where the food is good," Luke teased.

"I soured the milk," Rose shot back. "But I'll admit: after hussy no. 2 left him, he did get to looking kind of pitiful and scrawny, and I did cook him a few mercy meals, even after we broke up. He'd show up sort of peaked looking, and I couldn't tell him no. He's got the money to hire a cook, though. No use in him surviving on frozen pizza and Bugles."

Luke shook his head. "If it weren't for those fruit trees and bushes, he'd probably end up with scurvy or beri-beri or something."

Rose chuckled at that. "Ready for dessert?"

"When did you have time to fix dessert?" Luke asked.

"Oh, just here and around. It's wonderful what grocery stores carry these days," she answered, bringing out a fruit pie. "Me and Sara Lee. I'm telling you, we make a great team!"

"Doesn't look frozen, though," he said, giving the pie a careful look.

"I hope it doesn't taste frozen, either," Rose said with a grimace.

As Luke relaxed on the sofa after dessert, he said, "I'm too full to move."

"Don't, then. I need to do a little work on this story. Nap if you want to."

Luke did doze off, and Rose worked, checking some financial sources online, when she heard an odd noise. The cats pricked their ears up, as well. It didn't sound like an animal in the yard. Rose was accustomed to hearing possums and raccoons wandering around, but this was different. She went to Luke and touched his shoulder. "Wake up. I think I hear something."

He was instantly awake. "Where did you hear it?"

"Sounded like out back. Listen. There it is again."

"That's not an animal," Luke quietly said.

"That's what I thought," she answered.

Silent as a cat, Luke went to the back door and peeked out the window. Rose went to the back room and came out with a double-barreled shotgun. She shoved two shells in and cocked it. Luke looked at her with admiration in his eyes and grinned.

"Especially for varmints," she said. The noise came again, closer. "He's in the azalea bushes next to the window at the corner of the house." She went to the front door and unlocked it.

"What are you doing?" Luke hissed.

"Varmint hunting," Rose answered.

"Are you nuts? What if he has a gun?"

"I'm assuming he does," she said. "But the wall of the house is between us, and he doesn't know I know he's out there."

"Don't you go outside, woman!"

Rose gave him the kind of look Scarlett O'Hara must have given the Yankee deserter right before she shot him. Her brown eyes were cold and she said, "This is my house." And she eased the door open. She inched toward the porch railing on the side where the noise came from. Dropping to her stomach, she stuck the muzzle of the shotgun through the rails. Nice thing about a shotgun is you didn't have to have laser aim. Getting in the general direction was usually enough.

"I know you're over there!" Rose yelled. "Get your sorry ass out of my yard or I'll send you straight to hell!"

She heard a muffled curse and decided to show the intruder she meant what she said. She raised the muzzle and squeezed off one barrel. The report of the shotgun split the night and a yelp came from the side of the house. She reloaded and said, "All right! You know I mean business! Get out and stay gone!"

She could hear feet heading into the woods, and for good measure, emptied both barrels in that direction, bringing more curses. Taking two more shells out of her pocket, she reloaded and the shotgun was ready to fire again. Luke was at the doorway with a flashlight. Rose got to her feet. "If I thought that jerk was all alone, I'd track him down."

She went inside, Luke following silently. She picked up the phone and dialed. "Hi Daisy. Is Enos on duty tonight? Could I speak with him, please?" Silence and then, "Enos, this is Rose. I just took a potshot at someone lurking in my azalea bushes. He ran off in the woods. Can you send a deputy out, please? Thank you." She slammed down the phone. "_That's_ why I didn't want to get involved in this story. I'll bet my last dime that was someone connected with Hughie or Rick Safiano." She picked the phone up again and dialed. "Del? This is Rose. I need that Agent Brasher's number. I've just run off a prowler and I suspect he was working for one of the Gold Dust Twins." When she got off the phone, Luke was just leaning against the doorway, staring at her.

"What?"

He shook his head. "I can't believe you just went out there like that! Why didn't you call 911?"

"And what? How long would it have taken a deputy to get all the way out here? By that time, who knows what would have happened?"

Luke gave an exasperated snort. "O.K. Granted. But I should have been the one to go out there. You didn't need to take that kind of risk!"

Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "Luke, I really do appreciate your concern for me, but as you saw, I handled the situation."

"But I've had combat training. I'm able to judge what's the best course of action in a situation like that."

Rose exploded, "And I'm not? Don't you _dare_ go all ooo-rah Marine on me, Lucas Kennesaw Duke! Was it the best idea I've ever had? Probably not. But I wasn't about to let some creep do God knows what to me, you or my house! _I_ was the one holding the shotgun. My house, my call! If we'd been at the farm, I'd have let you handle it."

Luke was stunned. He knew Rose had a temper, but when he was around, it had generally been directed at Bo – never at him. "Now Rose, I didn't mean to imply you're not capable of taking care of yourself. Just that you kind of went off half-cocked there. You could have been hurt or killed."

His conciliatory tone calmed Rose a little. "Agreed. Like I said, it probably wasn't the best decision I've ever made. But I can't promise I won't do it again, if the circumstances warrant it."

Luke sighed. He'd also forgotten how purely bullheaded Rose could be. "O.K., O.K. Calm down. I understand. I'd have done the same thing if I'd been at the farm. Bo and I both would have." He paused. "I hear a car. That must be the deputy."

"Ms. Turney, that was dangerous what you did," the deputy said.

"I know, Deputy Tanner," Rose answered. "Believe me, Luke and I have already discussed it. But right then, I didn't know what else to do. So start checking the emergency rooms around. If I grazed him, he may need to get it tended to."

"I'll put in the call, Ms. Turney. But for tonight, I'm staying right here. Sheriff Strate's direct order. He said a possum wasn't s'posed to get in this yard without me knowing about it."

"I appreciate it, Deputy," Rose answered. She went inside to call Brasher. "Agent Brasher? Rose Turney with the Herald. I ran off a prowler tonight. I took a couple of shots at him. What do you want to bet he was there on the orders of either Safiano or Hogg?" A pause, then, "One of the Hazzard deputies is here tonight, but I'd like someone with your office here until we get this done. Can you do that for me? Thank you. I appreciate it." She hung up. "Agent Brasher will have protection for me tomorrow. _Why_ did I let Del talk me into this? I knew this was going to get nasty!"

Luke held out his arms and Rose went to him. As he folded her close and stroked her hair, he said, "It's gonna be all right, Rosie, baby." She started to cry into his strong chest and he held her until she quieted. "Come on, sweetheart. You're worn out. Let's get some sleep."

"You're not going home?"

"Not on your life, Rosiebelle," he said, using his childhood nickname for her. "I'm sticking to you like Super Glue."

"I love you, Luke," she said.

"I love you too, sweet Rose," he answered, kissing her.


	9. Chapter 9: Putting it All Together

**A/N:** _Thanks again and again for all the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. In case you don't know, and are wondering about "Sundrop," it's a citrus-flavored soft drink, along the lines of Mountain Dew, but with even more caffeine. It's popular in the South and parts of the Midwest. It can be tough to find, and aficionados swear by it. The rollercoaster is about to start down the first big hill, so get ready for the ride! LOL._

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 9: Putting it All Together**

Rose knew for certain she wouldn't have slept at all without Luke beside her and Deputy Tanner guarding the house. Her common sense told her the chances of someone coming back to the house in the same night were slim, but she was glad for the deputy's presence all the same. As it was, she did sleep off and on, and when she did wake up, the feel of Luke's strong arms holding her was incredibly comforting.

Rose went outside the next morning, to look at where the prowler had hidden. A few branches on the azalea bushes were broken, and there were footprints in the earth around the house. It had rained Wednesday and the ground was still a little soft. The prints were clearly visible. She also saw, with a little disgust, where a pellet or two of birdshot from her shotgun had nicked the house paint. Oh well, she had planned on repainting it in the spring, anyway. The tracks away from the house led into the woods. She started following them when a voice said, "We're handling that, Ms. Turney." She started and turned around. A man stood there. He showed her his ID. "I'm Special Agent Will Darnley. I'll be checking those tracks and keeping an eye on the house in the daytime. We'll have another agent here at night."

"Oh. O.K. Nice to have you here. Can I get you a cup of coffee?" she asked.

"That would be great, if you have some ready," he answered.

"Always. I'll get you a cup."

Agent Darnley followed Rose into the house. As they walked, he said, "I'll need to know people you expect to visit here. If I don't know them, they won't be allowed on the property without your consent."

"I understand," she said. She introduced him to Luke. "This is my fiancé, so obviously, he'll be here a lot," she laughed. "Also, his cousins Bo Duke and Daisy Strate might be by at some point. Daisy is Sheriff Strate's wife. But I don't expect too many visitors."

"I see. Well, we'll keep an eye on the property."

* * *

_In Hazzard_

Tory Ikard looked again at his bandaged left arm. "I don't care, Boss. I ain't going back out to Rose Turney's place. She's got a shotgun and she's crazy! She's done hit me one time. If I'd been six inches over to the left, I'd a-been shakin' hands with Jesus. No way. Crazy's one thing. A gun's one thing. But crazy _and_ a gun? Not me. That heifer emptied both barrels of that shotgun after me when I was running into the woods!"

Hughie Hogg drummed his fingers nervously on his desk. "O.K. Tory. You don't have to go back. Get on out of here, now, before somebody spots you." Tory left.

"Now what?" Hughie said to the other man in his office.

"Now we do it my way," said Rick Safiano.

"Your way might include a body count. I can't afford that in a small place like Hazzard," Hughie said.

Safiano laughed unpleasantly. "Only if the bodies have bullet holes in them. There are other ways of doing things," he answered.

"What makes you think Rose Turney is even involved in this?" Hughie asked. "None of the stories about the city budget have had her name on them. What if it's just that Evan kid? Hell, we ought to be able to just intimidate him into tucking his tail between his legs."

Safiano leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "Because Hughie, I _know_ she's involved. When she broke the story about the restaurant inspection scandal in Atlanta, she cost me a lot of money. There's no way that snot-nosed reporter covering city hall would have known to ask the questions he's been asking if someone hadn't been helping him. Someone with experience."

Hughie shrugged. "That editor's been on the job a long time. Made my Uncle J.D.'s life a living hell. He couldn't be telling Evan the questions to ask?"

"Possibly, but I doubt it. No, the speed this is picking up speaks of expertise. You know what they called Rose Turney in Atlanta, don't you?"

Hughie shook his head.

"Bird Dog. There's a reason for that. She stays on a trail until she's followed it to the end, no matter where it leads. She won an award for the inspection stories. No, this has her fingerprints all over it. I've been waiting to pay her back for that and now I have a golden opportunity."

"And don't you always tell me not to let my personal feelings get in the way of business?" Hughie answered.

Rick Safiano shot Hughie a cold, dirty look. "This _is_ business. Rose Turney could cost us this whole operation if she starts poking around in the wrong places."

"So how do we stop her?"

"Leave it to me and my associates. We'll take care of her."

* * *

"There's something going on in Tumlin Town. There's got to be," Rose told Luke. She had been pondering the tidbits of information she had so far.

"Like what?"

"I don't know exactly, but I have a hunch. Get in the truck and let's go."

"Where are we going? Luke asked. "And why take the truck?"

"So we won't stand out. And I'll give you directions as we go," she answered.

"O.K.," Luke said.

They drove to a small store and gas station just over the Sweetwater County line, on a two-lane county road. A brightly-colored food truck sat outside the establishment.

Rose got out and went to the truck.

"_Hola_," she said. "_Quiero dos tamales, por favor._"

The Hispanic lady at the window smiled and filled the order. A young man came up. "_Hola, Rosita. Como esta?_"

"_Bien_. What's up, Eleazar?"

"_Nada_. Slow day. What brings you here besides Mama's tamales?" he asked, handing her the food.

"I need a translator. My Spanish isn't good enough for where I need to go."

Eleazar raised an eyebrow. "Big story, huh?"

"If it's what I think it is, huge story. What's going on in Tumlin Town? Do you know? Have you heard?"

"_Si. Un poco_. Lots of people down there. They say they've been hired to work. We've seen a few of them here at the tamale stand."

Rose nodded. "Once in a while, I'm right. Can you come with me? We won't be gone any longer than absolutely necessary."

"Sure. Let me tell Mama. It's slow so as long as I'm back soon, it'll be all right."

"Great." They walked back to the pickup, where Luke waited. "Luke, this is Eleazar Alcaraz. He and his mom own the tamale stand. Eleazar, this is my fiance, Luke Duke."

The men shook hands and Eleazar flashed Rose a grin. He fired off something in Spanish. Rose paused a moment to translate, then said, "_Silencio, por favor_." Eleazar just laughed.

"What did he say?" asked Luke.

"I'll tell you later. Now let's get over to Tumlin. Go in from highway 18."

"O.K."

When they arrived on the outskirts of the old mill village, it was apparent people had moved in. Old vehicles were everywhere, clothes were hanging on lines, children ran through yards. Luke parked the pickup on a side street. "I'll wait and let you and Eleazar do what you need to do," he said.

Rose nodded and grabbed her camera. She started shooting photos. "Eleazar, ask that man over there if he's been hired to work in the sock mill. Tell him I'm not from Immigration."

Eleazar spoke briefly with the man. "He says he was. They're just waiting for the mill to open."

"Is he here legally?" she asked, knowing the answer. The man shook his head.

"That's all right. _Yo no federale_," she said, assuring him she wasn't with the U.S. Government. She shot more photos.

"Ask him how many people are living here."

Eleazar and the man spoke for a time and Eleazar turned. "He said about 200. They are from Mexico, and were working in Texas when someone came to them and promised them good jobs here." The man touched Eleazar's shoulder and handed him a business card. He handed it to Rose.

It was written in Spanish, but one name stuck out: Rick Safiano. No surprises there. This was the connection Rose had known existed. This was the reason Safiano was so interested in Hazzard County.

"_Muchas gracias, senor_," Rose said. "Thank him for speaking to us." Eleazar passed on the message. "Come on. You need to get back to work and I've got to get back to the Herald office."

"Luke, let's drop Eleazar back at the tamale stand and get to Sweetwater. Take the back way."

He nodded. "I think I have an idea of what's up, but tell me what you've found out."

"O.K. This man said there are about 200 people here in Tumlin. They're all illegal and all were brought here from Texas to work in the sock mill. Hughie owns it, so he can hire who he wants. By the time the Hazzard folks catch on to what's up, you know he'll have a contingency plan in place when INS arrives. Guess who was in charge of bringing them here?"

"I don't need to. Safiano."

"Yep. Hughie gets the profits from the sock mill, which I'm sure will all go to the offshore bank account, and since Safiano is the administrator, he gets his cut off the top when he transfers the money to the account. Since the workers are illegal, Hughie pays them crap wages, doesn't have to pay taxes or Social Security, or provide benefits. They think it's wonderful since they have houses. Poor people. And because they're illegal, they're not about to complain. No unions or OSHA to interfere with the way he runs that mill."

"Wow. I always knew he was dirty, but this..." Luke's voice trailed off.

"Yeah. I know," Rose said. "It's disgusting. But I'm fixin' to nail Hughie Hogg's hide to the wall. I've got this card, and my photos. We're gonna blow it wide open."

"You be careful, Rosita. Mr. Felipe, he said there have been some very bad men around, making sure everyone behaves," Eleazar said as he got out of the truck at the tamale stand.

"I'm sure there have been some bad men around, Eleazar. I'll be very careful."

"_Vaya con Dios, Rosita,_" he said.

"_Gracias. Y con tu_. See you later." The young man nodded and walked away.

As they pulled out of the lot, Rose got on her cell phone. "Del? You're not gonna believe this," she began and told him the story. When they got to the Herald offices, Rose nearly ran inside. She popped the card out of her camera and downloaded the photos to the photography department server. She also copied them to a CD and gave it to Del, along with the business card. Then she deleted the photos from her memory card.

"Luke, we're going into a meeting. Meet me back here at one for lunch, O.K.?"

"O.K., Rose. Lord, but I'm glad you're here and not at your house by yourself."

"Me too," she said.

* * *

Agent Brasher was in the editorial meeting. "All right. Based on Ms. Turney's photos and interview, and this business card," he looked at the card and chuckled, "we have the confirmation we need to start a full-scale operation. We will be involving several agencies. An agent in Hazzard says the word is the sock mill opens Monday morning. We're going to go ahead and let it open, but will be watching carefully. Friday will be payday, which is when Hughie will probably submit the first round of cash to the offshore account. As soon as that money hits the bank, we have a contact in the Caymans who will notify us. Then we move in. There's also word that this mill will be shipping the socks out of the port of Charleston overseas – illegally, of course. So we've got enough to put Hughie and Safiano away for a very long time. We will keep your paper informed so you can have people at the mill when we move in. But do not run anything else in the paper about the missing city budget money or anything else pertaining to this. They obviously know you all know something, but we want to keep them in the dark about how much you know. We'll have agents at your home, Mr. McKee, and you too, Mr. Bell," he said, indicating Evan.

Rose had said very little during the meeting, but something suddenly hit her. "Can you all excuse me for a moment? I need to check something." She went to her desk and pulled up the Atlanta paper's online archives. A few keystrokes later, she had what she was looking for. She took the information off the printer and went back to Del's office.

"Sorry for the interruption, but this makes more sense, now. I'd been wondering why Safiano's name sounded so familiar to me. I looked at the stories I did for the Atlanta restaurant scandal. Guess who owned four of the 10 restaurants implicated in the operation? That's why they targeted me, first. Safiano knows me from the Atlanta stories. He said he'd pay me back, then, but I ignored him. You get that all the time in this business."

Agent Brasher nodded. "Wow. That explains a lot. We'll keep you under surveillance 24/7. Your fiancé, too. They may try to get to you through him." He looked around. "A week from today ought to be interesting. I'll be in and out all week, but you all know how to find me if you need me."

Del thanked the man and said, "Well, Rose. I guess going back to features will be pretty tame after this."

She snorted. "Del, I'll be tickled to do a page on autumn recipes. No one has killed me yet over a food page."

* * *

Luke wasn't out front when Rose went out to meet him for lunch, which naturally worried her. Her cell phone rang about that time. It was Luke. "I've been busy this morning, but I'm on my way. Give me about 15 minutes," he said.

"O.K." she answered and went back inside. She was looking up more sources when someone cleared his throat. She looked up to see Luke, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "What are you up to?" she asked.

"Come see," he smirked.

Rose followed him out the door and her jaw dropped. Parked at the curb was a brand new Mustang convertible. It was so black it seemed to absorb all the available light. She looked at Luke and pointed at the car.

"Just bought it in Cartersville," he said. "They called me this morning to tell me it came in Wednesday."

"Wow," she managed, then a wicked thought hit her. "This is a midlife crisis car. You know that, don't you?" A giggle startled her. Bo was leaning against the building. "You talked him into buying this, didn't you?" Rose said.

Bo held up his hands defensively. "Hang on a minute, Rosie-roo. This wasn't any idea of mine. He just came to the house and said he wanted me to ride to Cartersville with him to pick up a car. I didn't have the first clue he was buying this." He grinned at her. "But I wouldn't have missed the look on your face when you saw it for anything."

"So are you going to let me take you to lunch?" Luke asked.

"What do you think?" she retorted and got in the car. He grinned and settled himself into the vehicle. As he turned the key, the big engine fired up and Rose said, "Now, you'll let me drive this some, won't you?"

He laughed. "You're the only thing that could have convinced me to get it with an automatic. I know you hate driving a stick shift," he answered. "Well, that, and it would be a little rough on my ankle to do all that clutching."

It was Rose's turn to giggle. "I love you, Lucas," she said.

"I know. Do you mind if Bo comes with us to lunch?"

"Of course not. Is he out of Sundrop and Bugles already?"

"Said he ate the last Pop-Tart in the house this morning."

Rose shook her head. "That boy. He needs a good woman."

"Yep," Luke answered.

At lunch, Rose quizzed Luke. "So what made you buy that Mustang? I thought you were looking for a light pickup. That's what we looked at the other day."

He smiled. "Well, all I drove in Wyoming were big, off-road vehicles. I wanted something different. The word is Dodge is reintroducing the Charger, but that's still a couple of years off. So, since I couldn't have a Charger, I thought a Mustang would work."

"Um, yeah," Rose answered. "And that sound system is incredible! Did you see it has a jack for an iPod? Unreal." A dreamy look crossed her face. "Can you imagine cruising Santa Rosa Island down the beach highway, top down, radio on? The beach on one side?" She sighed.

Bo nodded. "That does sound like a good idea."

Luke grinned at him. "For once, cousin, I'm in agreement with you."

As they left the restaurant, Luke noticed a man in a car across the street and called Rose's attention to him.

"FBI, I'm sure," she said. "Agent Brasher said they'd have me under constant protection. You, too."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting week."

Rose nodded. "I have a feeling you're right."


	10. Chapter 10: Just One of the Family

**A/N:** _A little breather before it all picks up again. Thank you all again for reading and reviewing. It really does help inspire me! _

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 10: Just One of the Family**

It was a Friday night tradition that Daisy came to the farm to cook and she and Bo, and now Luke, ate, sang, reminisced and had a good time. Enos took the kids out for chicken nuggets and the restaurant's play zone. Luke insisted that Rose come along, too.

"You're part of the family, only now we're making it legal," he said with a smile.

"I don't want to crash the party," Rose said.

"You won't. Daisy said for you to come."

As she had the previous week, Rose helped Daisy with the cooking. After supper, they sat in the den and Daisy got the idea of pulling out old photo albums. Rose had never seen many of the pictures and a silence fell on the room as they found an album with photos of their parents. A man in uniform held a baby.

"That was the only time Daisy and her Daddy ever saw each other," Luke explained. Another photo showed Daisy as a little girl with her mother. "That was Aunt Lucy's last Easter."

Another picture was of a beautiful blonde woman holding an equally blond toddler. "That's me and my Mama," Bo said, his voice soft as he touched the picture gently. The picture on the facing page was of Bo's family. Rose smiled when she saw it. "Except that Daniel Duke had light brown hair, you're the spittin' image of your Daddy, Bo." He grinned.

The next page showed Luke and his family. Because Luke was older when his parents died, there were a few more photos. "I remember when this was taken," he said. "We had gone to the Georgia State Fair and Daddy and I rode the bumper cars. Mama had one of those Kodak Brownie cameras and took this picture with that camera."

"How old were you, Luke?" Rose asked. "About eight?"

"About that," he answered.

School pictures, senior portraits and candid snapshots followed. "Lord, Bo, you thought you were red hot and smokin' in that senior picture, didn't you?" Rose laughed. Bo wore the obligatory tuxedo jacket, bow tie and ruffled shirt and his grin was cheesy.

"I _was_ smokin' hot. Still am," he answered. Daisy smacked him in the back of the head.

Luke's official Marines picture showed a solemn young man, hair freshly shorn, looking as uncomfortable as possible in his olive service uniform.

Rose ruffled Luke's thick hair. "I like you better with hair, Lucas," she said. "I always envied it because it's so thick."

"Even with all the gray in it?" he said.

"There's not that much and besides, with your black hair, it's a pretty silver. Looks good on you," she answered.

Luke got a faraway look in his eye for a moment. "Do you all remember the first time I came home after I enlisted?"

"Yeah," Daisy said. "You weren't able to come right after boot camp. It was what, 18 months before they gave you some leave?"

"I think so. I remember going to church that morning," he said.

"Oh, _I_ remember that day," Rose said.

"Yeah, me too," Bo agreed. "I remember it was cold weather. Right after the new year."

* * *

"You boys about ready for church?" came Uncle Jesse's voice into the bedroom.

"Gettin' there, Uncle Jesse," Bo called back.

"Well, hurry up, the both of you!"

Luke was fastening the coat of his Marine service uniform. He had lost weight in boot camp, but gained muscle in his shoulders and chest. His khaki church pants were now too large for him and his dress shirts were too small. So, he decided to wear his uniform.

"Looks good on you, cuz," Bo said. "You even look respectable!"

"Thanks a lot," was the dry answer. Luke put on his garrison cap and checked the look of his uniform. Not a wrinkle — which was just as it should be. One thing about a jarhead buzzcut: no hair to brush. That did annoy Luke a little. He liked having hair. Kept his head warm. But that was also the function of the cap.

Bo straightened his tie and fluffed his blond hair. Luke grimaced. Must be a girl at church he wanted to impress. "You spend more time in front of the mirror than Daisy does," he said.

Bo looked a little offended. "Gotta keep my rep up to par."

"Rep. You're 15, Bo. A rep?"

"I'll have you know I'm a popular guy."

Luke shook his head. "Let's get going or Uncle Jesse's gonna tan both our hides."

Daisy came downstairs. She had her hair up and wore a sweater and long denim skirt. She wore suede knee boots. North Georgia winters could get a bit chilly.

"Can we take Luke's car this morning, Uncle Jesse? The heater works."

"Sure we can. You feel like driving, Luke, or you want me to?"

"I'm glad to drive. I'll go get it cranked up so the heat will start working before we get to church." He went outside.

As he came back in, Bo was slipping on what was obviously a new sportcoat and preening in front of the mirror over the fireplace.

"Come _on_, Princess Bo! It's 10:30!" That was Daisy.

"Stop callin' me that!"

"Well, quit paradin' in front of the mirror like a tom turkey going courtin'! Look at him with his tail feathers all spread out."

The analogy was so apt, Luke couldn't help but roar with laughter.

"Stop it, Daisy!" Bo snapped, red-faced.

"Stop it the both of you!" Uncle Jesse said." I don't want to have to go cut a switch on Sunday morning." He shook his head.

Luke, still grinning, jerked his head toward the door. "Time to go, folks. The car's warmed up."

"Thank you, Luke," Daisy said as she flounced out the door.

Naturally, the pastor had to recognize Luke during the announcements. Seven-year-old Rose had been to Sunday school and hadn't seen the Duke family come in. At the sound of Luke's name, she did what her mother had positively forbidden her to do in church: she turned around and looked for him before her mother pinched her to make her behave. She sulked about the pinch for a while, but was cheered by the fact she would surely see Luke after church.

Of course, everyone wanted to speak to Luke after the service. When the Turneys finally got to speak to the family, Rose was right there. "Hi Daisy," she said.

"Hey Rosie. How you doing?" Daisy answered. She liked this little girl.

"I'm fine. Hi Bo."

Bo looked at the child. "Hi Rosie" he said in a bored voice. The girls were outside talking and he wanted to join them. He had no interest in chatting with a kid.

Rose was a smart child and knew when she had been dismissed. Coolly, she looked Bo up and down as she would a cockroach, put her nose in the air and turned her head haughtily away.

Now that irritated Bo. He didn't care about talking to the kid, but being snubbed by a seven-year-old pricked at his sizable ego. He tugged a lock of her brown hair. She clapped her hand to the back of her head and stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie," she said.

Daisy saw the exchange, and pinched Bo in the ribs, under his coat.

"Ow! Whaddya do that for?"

"You know why. Big bully. Pickin' on a little girl."

"That little girl can take care of herself," he said. He should know. She'd shied enough rocks at him that hit the mark.

"Shame on you," Daisy hissed. "Leave her alone or I'm telling Uncle Jesse."

Rose, meanwhile, had finally made it to her target: Luke. "Hey Luke," she said. "I'm real glad you had a safe trip home." This was what her mother had instructed her to say, but Rose had no trouble being sincere about it.

Luke grinned at her and she returned the smile, with utter hero worship in her eyes. "Rosiebelle! How are you? Gracious, but you're getting tall!" He actually swung her up into his arms for a hug. That hug made having to get up and get dressed for church worth it all. Rose was a natural night owl and preferred to sleep late.

"I'm just fine, Luke!" she said brightly. Luke laughed. Rosie was such a funny little thing. He knew she was extremely attached to him, to his amusement and Bo's disgust. "When can you let your hair grow again?" she asked.

"Rose!" Her mother was scandalized, but Luke just laughed.

"When I get out of the Marines, sweetie. They make me keep it short."

"That's _so_ silly," Rose answered, sounding every bit of 30.

"That's the military for you, little one," her daddy said.

As they walked out of church, Bo couldn't resist a final jab. "I've still got all _my_ hair," he said to Rose.

In a gesture that Daisy would treasure all her days, Rose rolled her eyes at Bo. "I could care less about _your_ hair."

Bo was left open-mouthed. "Did you hear what she said?" he asked Daisy.

"I heard, and I thought it was one of the funniest things I've _ever_ heard," she answered. "Serves you right, as stuck on yourself as you are."

"I'm not stuck on myself!" Bo protested. "I just know I look good!"

Daisy made gagging noises. "I think I'm gonna throw up," she said.

* * *

The four were rolling with laughter when everyone finished putting their two cents into the story.

"Hey, Rosie. You remember the time that cousin of yours came to visit?" Luke asked. "I swear, you two looked like peas in a pod."

"I'd forgotten about that, Luke," Daisy said. "But now I remember. Your Daddy's a twin, isn't he, Rose?"

"Yeah, he and Uncle Tom are identical. And married sisters. Now _that's_ country!" she laughed.

"Do you still look as much alike as you did then?" Luke asked.

"No, not really. There's a strong family resemblance, but Rachel and I look maybe like ordinary sisters. We do look more alike than she and Sara, her sister, but if you saw all three of us together, you'd know we were kin, no question."

"What's the age difference?" Daisy asked.

"Just six months."

"Where does Rachel live?" That was Luke.

"In Alabama. She works for a paper, there, strangely enough. She majored in English, though, not journalism, so she does different things there. She never wanted to report hard news, so she took another route, one with more copy editing duties. She was born proofreading copy," Rose chuckled.

"I remember seeing the two of you with your dad here at the farm," Luke said, and started laughing harder. "Bo walked outside, saw you and Rachel and came running in the house yelling, 'Lord help! There's _another _one!'"

Bo actually had the grace to look sheepish at this. "Well, I just couldn't imagine the Almighty would send a Xerox copy of Rose Turney to come and torment me, when the original was doing such a bang-up job of it already."

Rose howled with laughter and hugged Bo's shoulders. "Bo Duke, aren't you glad I love you?"

He grinned. "Yeah. Cause if you didn't, you'd have killed me by now."

"Exactly."

* * *

Luke slipped his arms around Rose as they stood on her back porch, looking at the moon. "Penny for your thoughts, babe," he said softly, kissing her cheek.

She leaned back against him. "Just wishing Hughie Hogg and Rick Safiano were at the bottom of a bog somewhere in the Okefenokee Swamp. And that my life would return to reasonably normal, or peaceful, anyway."

Luke chuckled. "I know what you mean. I didn't figure on courting you with FBI surveillance."

"Well, your last name is Duke and this is Hazzard County. Nothing ever goes like you think it will."

"True."

They went inside and Rose asked, "So what did make you decide to start courting me?"

Luke grinned at her. "Well, when I saw you standing next to Daisy in the airport, something just clicked. It dawned on me you were well over 18 now, and I was home for good." He snuggled next to Rose on the sofa. "You know, I think it's been in the back of my mind for years. I just didn't act on it."

"I'm glad you finally did decide to act on it. I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to kidnap you," Rose teased.

"I'm just thrilled I'm not having to compete with Bo for you."

"There never was a chance of that, sweetheart."


	11. Chapter 11: Without a Net

**A/N:** _And here we go again. Thank you all so much for your kind R&Rs. Please continue! I look forward to hearing from you all. Rome, Fort Payne and Huntsville are all real places, and worth a visit, BTW._

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 11: Without a Net**

Daisy and Rose enjoyed their day looking for dresses in Rome. Rose found several possibilities, but wanted to think about them. The family went to church the following day and Monday morning dawned without incident. Tuesday was quiet, as well, with Rose finishing her regularly assigned features for the week and scheduling interviews for the following week.

Daisy was optimistic that the quiet beginning to the week was a good sign. To Rose, however, it almost certainly signaled the proverbial calm before the storm. By Tuesday afternoon, she was jumpy and anxious. The surveillance had been discreet and flawless, but still, Rose had one of her funny feelings something was about to go haywire – and not in a good way. To that end, she took the cats to the vet to board them for a few days. In case someone did something to the house, she didn't want to lose them. She also fixed up what she called her "tornado box" – the collection of things she most valued, along with copies of important papers. This she took to her safe deposit box in the First State Trust Bank in Sweetwater. Bo thought she was overreacting, but Luke was afraid she might be on to something.

"Rose has been down this rabbit trail before," he told his cousin. "She knows when something is about to break."

In spite of the FBI's assurance otherwise, Rose also assumed Safiano's people probably had at least her home phone tapped. She bought a cheap cell phone and used it in the public library in Sweetwater for personal business. She knew she had to be that cautious to have the faintest chance at getting out of this situation alive. Rose had also started leaving her shotgun in the back of whatever car she was driving, hers or Luke's. She was watchful when outside, in case someone took a potshot at her, and varied her routes to and from work.

Wednesday morning seemed all right, and Luke said he would drive her to work. Rose met with Del and Agent Brasher, and confided her concerns to them. They listened, but assured her that everything was under control. Still, Rose knew it was all about to hit the fan. When she and Luke pulled into the yard that afternoon, everything seemed quiet. They went inside, and the alarm system had not been tampered with, nor did anything in the house seem amiss. However, when Rose went to the back door, she could see what looked like something burning in the woods. She had a pair of cheap binoculars and looked out. Oh, God. It was the FBI car.

She silently motioned to Luke and he looked. He whispered, "We've got to get out. Now."

Rose nodded and whispered. "Wait. I need 30 seconds. This may help us down the road." She dialed her mother's number. "Roll Tide, Mama!" she said. Opening the conversation with the war cry for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide was their trouble signal.

"Roll Tide, Rosie. What's up?" Her mother was clearly worried, but composed.

"Well, I'm taking the rest of the week off and heading to Birmingham to see Rachel. Just wanted to let you know in case you couldn't get me. Didn't want to worry you."

"That's fine. I'll call Mary and tell her to expect you. Say hello to all the folks for me while you're there. Have a safe trip."

"O.K. Mama. Love you."

"Love you, too." Rose hung up.

"What was that all about?" Luke whispered.

"I'll tell you in a little while. Let's haul outta here."

They went back outside, just as if nothing was going on. About the time they reached Luke's car, a black Cadillac Escalade roared up from the dirt road behind the house. Rosie grabbed her shotgun and squeezed off a round at the vehicle. Nothing.

"It's armored, Luke. We've got to fly. I know where I'm going. Let me drive?"

He nodded and they dove into the car, Rosie firing it up and gunning the big engine forward, even before she had the door shut.

"Call Bo. Tell him to meet us on Highway 18 north. This is going to be dangerous, but we've got to have someone who can drive running some interference for us," Rose said. "Call Daisy, too. Enos needs to know. Then, get my cell phone and call Del. He can get the FBI."

Luke nodded. He made the calls and said, "Bo's on his way. Pissed as hell, and out for blood. Now what's the plan?" They were several hundred yards ahead of the Cadillac and with the Mustang's engine, Rose thought they could keep it that way in the short term, at least. "We're going to the Huntsville area. Lots easier to get lost in a big city. I'm figuring my phone was tapped, so I called Mama to tell her I was headed to Birmingham. That's a big city too, and would seem like a logical bolt-hole to Safiano and his people. We're headed to Fort Payne on the way. I-59 goes through there and that would also be the logical way to get to Birmingham from here. Only we won't get on 59 and we will sincerely hope they do. That way, they'll be heading the wrong direction the whole time. Where is Bo?" she fretted. The Cadillac was closing and Rose was getting really scared.

"Anytime now, hopefully," Luke said. Suddenly, a silver Camaro with black racing stripes pulled out from a side road between the Mustang and the Escalade.

"Just in time," Rose sighed as she saw the driver give a thumbs-up. "He has his racing helmet on," she said, a sight which, even in their desperate straits made her giggle.

Luke smiled grimly. "Smart thinking if they start shooting."

Bo was weaving all over the road, and varying his speed, making the big SUV drop back. His car was smaller and far more maneuverable, and he knew how to take advantage of it.

"O.K. We're heading to Rome. Tell Bo." Luke had a CB installed in his car, feeling a bit foolish as he did, and never figuring on using it much, but since trouble seemed to find the Duke family everywhere, he did it anyway. He knew Bo would have his CB on as well.

"We're going to Rome and Fort Payne," he said.

"10-4," came the short answer.

"We've got to get to Fort Payne ahead of them," Rose said. "We can't let them get there before we do. They've got to think we got on 59 there."

"Won't the traffic in Rome be awful at this time of day?" Luke asked.

"I'm counting on it, but I also know a shortcut. With any luck, they'll follow Bo right into it and we'll be several miles ahead of them."

"Luck. We could sure use some," Luke said.

Rose nodded and kept driving. Once they got into Rome, the afternoon traffic did snarl almost immediately. However, with a few maneuvers worthy of the man running interference for them, she got ahead enough to be lost in the crowd and turned off north. The bypass had few traffic lights and Rose was hoping they were still following Bo in the melee while she and Luke made time on the bypass. As they emerged on Georgia 20, there was no sign of Bo or the SUV. Rose poured on the speed while she could, before they made the turn on to Alabama 35, heading into Fort Payne. The state line flashed by and Rose breathed a tiny bit easier. One hurdle down. Ten miles to the turnoff.

Dusk was settling in and when Rose made the right on to 35, Luke looked down the highway. "I think I see Bo," he said.

"Then the bad guys aren't far behind," Rose answered. "Now we have to make it up Lookout before they do."

"This road goes up Lookout Mountain?" Luke asked.

"And back down it, into Fort Payne. But in that heavy, armored SUV, even with that big engine, they won't be able to make the kind of speed we can, or Bo can. And it's a dark, winding, narrow road, and they don't know it. I do. When we get to Fort Payne, we'll pull behind this gas station close to the on-ramp for 59, just to make sure they take it. Then, we'll head out again and stay on 35 to Scottsboro. Tell Bo."

Luke relayed the message.

"Sounds good. I'm keeping 'em busy. They don't even drive as good as Rosco," Bo chuckled.

"That nut is having fun back there," Rose said.

"This is what he was born to do. You were born to write, Bo was born to drive like a maniac," Luke said.

Rose stayed ahead of their pursuers and chuckled when they came to the first set of "S" curves that heralded the first uphill grade on Lookout Mountain. She turned the headlights off, depending on the lights of oncoming traffic and her own knowledge of the road to make their way.

"This is not smart, Rose," Luke said.

"I know it, but we'll have to turn them on in town and I don't want to give those idiots a shot at us. I'll turn the parking lights on once in a while, though."

Somehow, "by the grace of God," as Rose said later on, they made time going up the mountain, and were on the other side and through downtown Fort Payne by the time the overweight SUV topped the hill.

They pulled behind the service station Rose had mentioned. It was closed, but there was plenty of room in the back lot for two cars. As they waited, sweating the minutes, the Escalade appeared. From their vantage point, they saw it roar on to the southbound exit ramp and head toward Birmingham.

All three breathed huge sighs of relief and got out of their cars. Bo and Luke hugged and then Bo hugged Rosie.

"Rosie-roo, that was some driving you did back there, girl. You musta learned something from me and Luke over the years."

"I don't think I could do it again," she said, weak and a little nauseated now the adrenaline was running out. "Bo, call Daisy and tell her we're all right, would you? And also to have Enos call the Alabama State Troopers to be on the lookout for that SUV. Luke, let's get moving. You can take us in. Follow along, Bo, if you will."

"Sugar, I'll be right behind you the whole way. I haven't been in trouble like this in years."

"And you're loving it, you lunatic," Rose answered.

Bo shot her the grin that had put him in People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" issue several years before. "Yep. I sure am."

"Let's go."

A quick fill-up in Scottsboro and a soda to calm Rose's tummy and they were on their way to Huntsville, also known as the Rocket City. Rose was beyond thrilled to see the city lights and knew it would now be much, much more difficult for Safiano and his crowd to locate them. Huntsville was a big town and with the technology and military base, a wealthy one. New sports cars were everywhere. No one gave either the Mustang or the Camaro a second look.

"Where to from here?" Luke asked.

"Let's go to my folks. They've got enough room for all of us and a place where we can get these vehicles under cover. Daddy has this old Fairmont he's been fixing on. It'll get us around town until things cool off."

"Sounds good. You know, Rosie, if I didn't know better, I'd say you've been planning this for years."

"Well, in a way I have," she answered. "An Atlanta cop and I had a talk while I was covering the restaurant stories and he really counseled me about making an escape plan, considering the people I was dealing with. I just took my existing plan and made some modifications. I really, truly never thought I'd have to use it, though. I thought the chances were better I'd have to take the cats and my box to the storm shelter before I'd use this plan."

"And under any other circumstances, they would be better," Luke said.

"Yep. Del said he would tell Agent Brasher to have his people lie low around here, but to crawl all over Birmingham. That will help cover our tracks even more. Agent Darnley made it out of the car, by the way. He's singed, but O.K."

"I am so glad to hear that," Luke said.

"Me too."

* * *

Some twenty miles west of Huntsville, they reached the Turney home. Rose's parents could not thank Bo and Luke enough. "Seems like you've been helping Rose out for years," Bill Turney said to Luke.

"I'm just glad I've been around when she needed me," Luke answered.

"I am too," Shirley, Rose's mother, answered. "So where do you go from here?" she asked.

Luke said, "Rose said she was driving to Decatur tomorrow to see Rachel and some other friend of hers at the paper. I guess we'll go with her." He looked around. "Where did she go?"

Shirley smiled. "Upstairs to bed. I think she just wants to forget today for a while. You and Bo can pick whichever rooms you'd like. If there's anything you need, just let me know."

Both men thanked the Turneys and headed upstairs, too. To say it had been a long day was the understatement of the millennium.

Luke peeked into Rose's room. "You awake?" he whispered.

"Barely," she answered. "And you'd better not let anyone catch you in here. It doesn't matter we're grown."

Luke snickered. "I won't stay long." He sat on the side of the bed. "I had to say I love you."

Rose held out her arms and hugged him. "I love you too. More than I can tell you."

"You're a crazy woman, you know that?" he teased.

"If today didn't convince me, nothing will."

He kissed her. "You were something else today."

"I'm a nervous wreck now."

"Doesn't matter. You kept it together when it mattered. That's what I learned in the Corps: fall apart all you want after the mission, as long as you're wired tight during the mission."

"Smart thinking by you jarheads."

"That's why we're Marines. Good night, baby. I'll see you in the morning."

"Thankfully, there will be an 'in the morning,'" she said.

"Amen to that."

Luke left the room and went to the one he and Bo were sharing. No use messing up two rooms, when one had two beds. The Turneys were a big family.

"That's quite a woman you've got there, buddy," Bo said.

Luke grinned. "She is. But I think you knew that already."

"Yeah, I did. I think you should keep her around."

"I think I'll do that."


	12. Chapter 12: Running to Stand Still

**A/N:** _Thank you over and over for continuing to R&R. And thanks to Bono for the chapter title. This is a track from "The Joshua Tree" album by U2. _

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 12: Running to Stand Still**

The Decatur newspaper office was downtown and Rose went right in, just speaking to the receptionist. Rachel's desk was near the door.

"What's going on?" Rose asked her cousin.

Rachel turned with a start. "Hey! Wow. Some night you had. I talked to Aunt Shirley this morning. They were worried to death about you yesterday. I thought Uncle Bill was going to call out the National Guard."

"That would have been nice," Rose replied. "Is Jean around this morning?"

"Right here, Rosie. I hear things have been exciting in that boring little place." Jean Page was a petite redhead whose dry sense of humor made her a favorite everywhere she worked. She and Rose had worked together in Atlanta.

"More excitement than I want, let me tell you," Rose answered. "Some good, some not so good."

"What's the good?" Rachel asked. "I mean other than Luke being home. Aunt Shirley said he and Bo were responsible for getting you here safe last night."

"Yeah, they were. And the good is that my decades-long campaign for Luke's heart has ended in a resounding victory." Rose grinned wickedly.

Rachel clapped her hands in glee. "Are you serious? Really? No way!"

"Way. I've had a fiance for a whole week now."

"And he just got home last Saturday. I guess he's the fast worker, since you've been on this hunt for years."

Jean was listening with puzzlement, and then her confusion cleared. "Oh yeah! That guy! The one you told me about! Where is he?"

Rose grinned. "Dark hair. In the lobby."

Jean took a discreet peek and came back. "Hats off to you, girlfriend. You got the grand prize, for sure. But who's the long, tall drink of water with him? He looks familiar, but I can't place him."

"His cousin, Bo Duke. Retired NASCAR driver."

"OH! I remember him!" Jean said. She looked into the lobby again. "Jeez Louise. I always said people were just prettier down here." Jean was from Iowa. "He's male model material."

"Well for heaven's sake, don't ever tell him that!" Rose chuckled. "He's conceited enough as it is."

"Bring them in, why don't you? I haven't seen either one in years," Rachel said.

Rose went to the door and motioned both men into the newsroom.

Luke shook hands with both women. Bo flashed Jean his trademark smile and even though she had been married 10 years, it made her a little weak in the knees. Then Bo spoke to Rachel. She stood and came over to him with a smile.

Bo looked at Rachel with something like confusion mixed with interest. She looked like Rose, yes, but as Rose had said, like a sister, not a twin. Their coloring was similar. Rachel might be a bit fairer of skin, and her eyes a little more brown.

"Bo Duke. It's been a long time," Rachel said, holding out her hand. Her voice was softer than Rose's, a little higher in pitch.

"It really has, Rachel. Good to see you," he answered, a new tone in his voice.

Rachel felt like she had been hit by a truck when she saw Bo. She didn't remember him like this. When she thought about Bo Duke, she remembered a gangly teenager, all arms and legs, with a shock of blond hair on top and an obnoxious mouth. She didn't plan on _this_. Anything but this. She had seen his pictures when he raced, and sure, she knew it was the Bo Duke she had met as a teen, but never really made the connection between that mouthy kid and the man in the photos. Where had _this_ man come from? She finally remembered to release his hand and he gave her his very best, devil-may-care grin that nearly knocked her out of her shoes. She held on to the back of her office chair for support. Then she had to remember to close her mouth, which had been hanging open in astonishment. Well, really, in admiration.

Bo leaned his elbows on the counter at her desk and said, "So what do you do around here?"

"Um, I'm uh, well, I'm a news and editorial assistant and I also do some feature writing."

"Is that so? Why don't you come to lunch with us and you can tell me all about it?" he said.

Rachel blushed beet red and said, "Uh, I suppose. Sure. Of course I will."

"Great," he answered, smiling. Rose told him later she could see the yellow tail feathers sticking out of his mouth.

Rose and Luke looked at each other. Rose grinned and Luke just shrugged. Who'd have thought?

"Tell you what. I know you want to fill us all in on what's been going on, so why don't Rachel and I meet you guys over at The Wall for lunch?" That was Jean.

"Great idea," Rose answered. "We can go and get a table. They're usually pretty busy at lunch. We'll go on and let you two finish up and just meet us over there."

"Sounds good," said Rachel, who had finally regained her mental balance. "I do have a couple of calls to make, but we'll be right along."

"See you there," Bo said, with a devilish wink at her. Bang! Her mental balance went right off the rails again. She sat down with a stunned expression on her face.

"Does the talent of mesmerizing women just run in that family?" Jean said to Rachel.

"It must," she answered, staring after Bo. "It must."

"Yeah." Jean looked again. "What that man does for a pair of Levis ought to be illegal." Rachel just nodded.

At their table, Bo started 20 Questions with Rose. "O.K. So tell me about Rachel. Has she ever been married?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah. She got married right out of college. She and Kirk were married, oh, five years? He'd had some sort of cancer when he was a kid, and went into remission. They considered him cured, but it came back in a really aggressive form and the doctors just couldn't do anything for him. It was really sad."

"That is sad," Luke said. "I don't think you ever told me about that."

"You all were on the circuit when it happened," Rose answered. "I guess it just never came up when we saw each other."

"Guess not."

"She seeing anyone now?" Bo asked.

"Not that I know of. She's dated on and off since Kirk died, but nothing serious, I don't think."

Bo nodded. He had some thinking to do about this woman.

Both women listened intently as Rose told the story of her past two weeks, and their wild drive the night before, with Luke and Bo interjecting their comments at intervals.

"Holy..." Jean's voice trailed off. "Man, I can't believe it all blew up that quickly! Well, yes I can. You remember that story out of Savannah a few years ago about shipping and the Mob? Seems like that was all over in a week."

"I wish this was over," Rose said. "I just want to get back into my little office and write my little stories."

Jean shook her head. "I don't blame you. It can be exciting, covering this kind of stuff, but it really takes it out of you, too."

"To say nothing of the possibility of getting yourself shot," Rachel said.

"Yeah. I can do without all that, let me tell you," Rose answered.

"Wait for me a minute," Bo said to Luke and Rose, as they came back to the newspaper. He went to catch up to Rachel, at the corner of the building. "Hey. I meant to ask you something. You want to go to that concert in the park with me tonight? Supposed to be a good band playing. It starts at six."

"That would be fun," Rachel answered. "I guess you can come by the house for me, since you'll be with Rose and Luke."

"All right. That sounds like a plan. See ya."

"O.K." Rachel smiled and turned to go up the steps to the back door of the newspaper office. Bo caught her hand. She was on the second step and turned, now eye level with him. His eyes were intense.

"Wait," he said.

"Yeah?" Before she could breathe, Bo's arms were around her, his mouth on hers.

Startled to her soul, Rachel stopped breathing for just a moment before she relaxed into the kiss. There was nothing she needed more right at this moment. Those arms, so strong, held her gently, as Bo kissed her thoroughly. He broke the kiss and grinned at her. "You don't know martial arts, do you?" he asked.

Rachel remembered the story Rose had told her and said, "No, Bo. I don't know how to flip you."

"That is a really good thing," he murmured and kissed her again.

How did a man learn to kiss like this? She could feel it to her toes. She had loved Kirk, but didn't remember him making her feel hot and cold and anxious and happy, all at the same time. She had met Bo once before, had talked to him for an hour, and now was letting him - O.K., encouraging him to kiss her right here in broad open daylight, in public.

Bo truly was just as surprised. He hadn't counted on this when he said goodbye. It was like he just couldn't help himself. He had to kiss this woman. Had to. Was compelled to. It was like being 19 again with the hormones buzzing in his blood.

Rachel stroked his hair and face and broke the kiss. "I have to get back, but I'll see you tonight," she said. She started back up the steps, turned and smiled at him. She touched her fingers to her lips, throwing a subtle kiss to him and went inside.

Bo walked to the car, hands in his pockets, whistling. It had been a beautiful day before, but the sky was bluer now, the birdsong even sweeter. He got in the backseat with a goofy smile on his face.

"She said she'd go?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. She's going," he answered.

Rose grinned at Luke again and her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "Must be something in the water," she said.

"Must be," Luke agreed.

* * *

_In Hazzard_

"Mr. Safiano, Birmingham is a big place. We're still looking."

"Look harder," Rick Safiano snapped.

"We are. This place is crawling with FBI, so they've got to be here somewhere, but Birmingham covers part of two counties, so I don't know where to start looking. But we'll keep on."

"You do that," Safiano said and hung up with a curse.

"No luck?" said Hughie Hogg.

Safiano slammed his fist on Hughie's desk. "Incompetents! They couldn't find a rat in a sewer!"

"Maybe the rats aren't in Birmingham," Hughie said.

"Not in Birmingham? Then where the hell are they?" Safiano was clearly not pleased.

Hughie grabbed an atlas from his desk drawer. He showed Safiano the route to Fort Payne. "And here's where we lost them," he said, pointing to Interstate 59. "But look here. Rose Turney's parents live in this area," he outlined Huntsville, "so what do you want to bet the phone call was a fake and this is where they are? It's just as easy, and even quicker, to get to Huntsville from that point. Hour, hour and a half, at the most."

Safiano swore, fluently and explosively, then, "Why didn't you say something, you idiot?" he rounded on Hughie.

Hughie raised his eyebrows. "I told you to be careful about letting your personal feelings interfere with business. But you said you had it handled, so I let you go right ahead on. Maybe you're not as much of a hot shot as you thought you were."

"Don't screw around with me, Hogg. You're expendable, too."

"Is that so? Maybe, after a while I will be, but I'm not now. Right now, I know more about this area, and these people, than you do. They don't like me, but they trust me more than a newly-come, slick-talkin' Yankee SOB like you. The people of Hazzard wouldn't trust you to tell them their houses were on fire."

Safiano's look was murderous, made worse by the fact he knew Hughie was just telling the truth. "Why did I ever start this operation?" he said out loud.

"Because you wanted the money. Like me. Now we'll do it my way. First thing is to get some of your people on the way to Huntsville. But tell them to be careful, keep their eyes and ears open and not ask too many questions. Media people know each other because they've all worked at the same places, and they hear things. Rose Turney probably knows half the reporters in Georgia and Alabama. Send your people to Huntsville today. They can be there in two hours from Birmingham."

Safiano made the necessary calls, glaring at Hughie the whole time. He then stormed out of the office.

Hughie was also starting to wonder why he had ever agreed to hook up with this joker. He had thought they'd get the operation going, and Safiano would go off back to New York or New Jersey, or back under whatever rock he called home. His phone rang.

"Mayor Hogg," he said.

"Mayor, this is George Goodman." Goodman was one of the sock plant supervisors.

"Yeah, George. What's up?"

"It ain't good. My foreman's been telling me his people have been seeing _el autobus blanco_. That's the white bus Immigration uses to round people up. He also says the village _jefes_ - that's Safiano's boys – have been seeing _los federales_ around. That's FBI. We're fixin' to get hit, Boss. It's just a matter of time, I'm tellin' you."

"Everybody got green cards yet?"

"Yeah Boss, but that ain't gonna fool INS."

"It will for a while, maybe. Slow them down, anyway."

O.K. Boss. I just wanted you to know."

"Thanks for calling," Hughie said. He hung up and leaned back in his chair. He knew the FBI was around. He knew they were under the gun. Why the hell had he agreed to ever get together with Safiano? The Feds would have probably left his little operation alone for a while, anyway, if the Mob hadn't gotten involved. Now they were everywhere. That phone call changed everything. This was shaping up to be a full-scale operation by the FBI, INS, the Justice Department and who knows who else. He picked up the phone again.

"Kelli, get Cal in here on the double." Cal was Calhoun Bartlett, Hughie's lawyer.

"Yes, Boss," she answered.

When Cal entered the room, Hughie said, "Shut the door. This may take a while." He explained the situation and said, "Now Cal, if the FBI raids my place, do I clam up or sing?"

The attorney shook his head. "Dear Lord, Hughie. I've never had a client like you. O.K. Here's what you do. If the feds raid the place, call me first. Do not say a word to anyone, about anything until I get there. We're going to ask for immunity for full allocution. That is, you sing like a canary bird if they agree not to prosecute."

"Sounds good to me. I'm willing to tell them everything to stay out of prison."

Cal sighed. "One other thing: you'll be naming names in the Mob. One of two things could happen. This could make Safiano be considered a sufficient liability that the higher-ups completely distance themselves from him and let him swing in the wind. With the kinds of charges he might be looking at, that's a distinct possibility."

"What's the other thing?" Hughie asked.

"Rick Safiano has to be fairly highly placed. Otherwise, he wouldn't be starting a new operation this far from home. They trust him and expect him to be successful. This means they would stand behind him. That would not be good for you, because they would then feel it their honor bound duty to hunt you down like a dog and take you out for running your mouth."

Hughie blanched white. "You mean, like a hit?"

"That's exactly what I mean. In that case, your only option would be to go into the witness protection program. Otherwise, you have a big target painted on your back. Witness protection means you disappear. You get another name and another life. You can never come back to Hazzard, and probably not to Georgia, or even the Southeast. You break all ties with your family and friends. It's for life, and it's serious business, Hughie."

Hughie stood up and looked out the window. Life in Hazzard continued its daily round, unaware of what was happening in its very center. He looked around the office. J.D. Hogg had installed the dark cherry paneling, and the mahogany desk had belonged to him, also. "Sow the wind," he murmured.

"What was that?" Cal said.

"Something I remember from Sunday school years ago," he answered. "When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind. I guess I've been sowing the wind all these years, me and Uncle J.D., and the whirlwind is about to hit."

"It's not a situation you want to find yourself in, for sure," Cal answered.

"I'm sure you'll be hearing from me soon," Hughie said. "Thanks for coming in on such short notice."

"You're welcome." Cal walked out of the office. He stood outside and looked up at the Hazzard City Hall. A verse from his own Sunday school days came to mind. "Behold," he whispered. "The sins of the fathers shall be visited unto the sons, even unto the second and third generation." And people said the Bible was no longer relevant. Cal walked back to his office, not liking what he saw for his client on the horizon.


	13. Chapter 13: Common Threads?

**A/N:** _First and foremost, thank you for the continued R&Rs! I truly appreciate you all taking the time to do it. Keep 'em coming! I originally intended a little more action for this chapter, but decided it would just be too long to read comfortably, so I'm saving it for the next chapter. Hope you're all still enjoying the ride. _

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

**Chapter 13: Common Threads?**

"I thought you said Rachel lived in an apartment," Bo said, as they pulled up to a large, rambling house on a tree-lined street.

"She does. This house has been turned into apartments," Rose replied.

"Oh. Nice spot for it," he answered.

"She likes it. There's always a waiting list for this place. It's quiet and the apartments are pretty good-sized. They don't mind pets, either."

"Let me guess," Luke said. "Cats?"

"And guinea pigs," Rose chuckled.

"Guinea pigs? Isn't that like a jumbo hamster or something?" Bo asked.

"Sort of, but sweeter. They're really likable little critters," Rose said.

Rachel's apartment was on the front of the house, and the front door had an autumn wreath on it. Rose knocked and Rachel came to the door. "Hey, ya'll. Come on in."

Bo looked around the place. There was no doubt a woman lived here, but there were a few eclectic touches as well. Framed Impressionist prints hung on the wall, along with a psychedelic Beatles poster, also framed. Knickknacks were on shelves, along with a few photos.

Rachel had gone to the kitchen to feed the cats. Bo cast a doubtful eye on the décor. "Interesting," he said.

Rose chuckled. "You've seen my office at home. Surely this doesn't surprise you."

"Well, no, when you put it like that, it doesn't," he answered. Rose had converted one of the bedrooms at her house to an office and had several Beatles posters up, along with other pop icon-ish sorts of things.

"You two don't like all the same things, do you?" Bo asked.

"No!" came Rachel's voice from the kitchen. She walked into the den. "Rose, for reasons I don't understand, doesn't really like Pink Floyd."

Rose had seated herself on the sofa and was leafing through the paper. "Self-important, angsty, pompous, bloated yuck," she said, absently.

"I'm not even getting into that discussion with you!" Rachel exclaimed. "And really, how can you like 'Jane Eyre' better than 'Wuthering Heights'?"

"Because Heathcliff is a borderline sociopath, and I hate reading what someone else is narrating all the time. I had to keep the family tree handy the whole time so I could keep the characters straight. Drove me nuts."

Suddenly, Bo felt like he had been dropped into an episode of "The Twilight Zone," where the world had been turned at a 45-degree angle. He looked at Luke, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter. He cocked his head at Luke, looking for all the world like a confused puppy.

"They're brainiacs, Bo. Didn't you ever figure that out about Rose?" Luke laughed.

"Well, yeah. She was always using these big words, but come on!" he spluttered.

Rose put her paper down. "Bo, you know just about everybody in our family teaches. What in the world did you expect?"

"It's OK, Bo. I know we seem a little weird sometimes," Rachel said, patting his arm. "We even freak out our parents, occasionally, when all the grandkids get together, especially when the girls get to going on like we do." She smiled winningly at him.

Luke, still smirking, said, "You know what we're like. When the Dukes all got together, all we ever talked about was sports, huntin', fishin', farmin' and running 'shine. The women talked about keeping house, the kids, the menfolk and the members of the family who weren't there."

"That's true," Bo said. He looked over at Rachel. "Do you like Waylon Jennings?" His tone was a little desperate.

"Sure," she replied.

"_That's_ a relief," he answered, much to Rachel's amusement.

"We need to get going," Luke said. "Concert starts in 15 minutes. What kind of music did you say they play, Rachel?"

"All kinds. Covers. They do classic rock, some country. Eagles, CCR, a little Motown. That sort of thing. I heard them when I covered the chili cook-off in February. They're good."

"Sounds great. Let's go."

* * *

As they arrived at the park, a crowd was already there, and they spread two blankets on the grass. It was a beautifully mild night, and it was obvious people were grateful for a break from the summer heat.

The band was good and they played until it was completely dark. After that, a DJ played music so people could continue to enjoy the park and the evening. Rachel and Bo were walking the path by the river, while Luke and Rose snuggled on their blanket. "This is the first time I've relaxed, really relaxed, all week," she said.

"Yeah, it's nice knowing we don't have the FBI watching us, or anyone else lurking around we don't want," Luke answered. Their spot was far away from the lights of the walkway. They kissed in the dark, and when "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" came over the sound system, Luke sang along with it to Rose. She giggled a little and laid her head against his chest. If ever anything in the world felt like it was meant to be, this was it, she thought.

The park had glider swings that faced the river, and Bo and Rachel sat on one, or rather, were snuggled in one. "You've been quiet, Bo," Rachel said.

"I've been thinking."

"About what?"

He sighed. "You must think I'm pretty ignorant."

"Why in the world would you say that?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I didn't go to college. I did all right in school, but I never read all those books you and Rose have. My papers in English were just awful. I guess I just really didn't realize how uneducated I was."

Rachel took his hand. "Bo Duke, you are _not_ ignorant! Everyone has their own areas where they are smart. I'm a book geek. So's Rose. But I couldn't fix a car to save my life! And being able to fix a car is actually practical. Might help get you out of a jam someday. And Bo, just because you didn't go to college doesn't mean you can't still learn. Matter of fact, if you wanted to, you could take a couple of courses at the Sweetwater Community College, just to see if you like it or not. You don't have to have a degree to be smart."

He kissed the top of her head. "Now you do sound like Rose. She's told me the same thing. But I have to wonder how much we really might have in common. I mean, with Luke and Rose, there's no problem. He loves to read and when we were racing, every time I'd go in the trailer, he'd have his nose in a book. But me, I know I'm just kind of a dumb ol' country boy and you'd get tired of that pretty quick."

Something in Bo's tone went straight to Rachel's heart. She knew he had just told her something he confided to few people. "You're not dumb, Bo. There's nothing dumb about you. And it's never too late to start learning, if you want to learn. But even people like me don't read classic literature all the time. And I know you read some things because Rose told me how you would raid her sack of Louis L'Amour westerns. Well guess what? I like him, too. My daddy loved cars and he and Uncle Bill used to trade car magazines back and forth. I read those, too. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. I think we have plenty of time to find out what we've got in common. It's probably a lot more than you realize."

"Maybe so," he said, a little doubtfully. He tipped her chin up and kissed her. "I know _that_ works pretty well."

"It sure does," Rachel chuckled.

They found Rose and Luke folding up the blankets and Bo and Rachel stood on her porch for several minutes before he came back to the car.

"Think there's something starting here?" Rose said.

"Could be," Luke answered. "We'll have to wait and see, I guess. But when Bo meets a woman he wants, he's usually pretty definite about it. He's not really fickle. I mean, he's dated two or three girls at one time, but when he settled on who he wanted, he pursued that relationship. He's broken some hearts, but not usually because he was leading them on or anything."

Rose leaned her elbow on the door and peered at the couple on the dark porch. "And Bo's had his heart broken a time or two, himself. Sad thing about a lot of those times is because those females just wanted his money or whatever. They really didn't want _him_. Bless his heart. He really is a good guy. I can tell you one thing: Rachel isn't interested in a meal ticket. She's not made that way."

"Neither is her cousin," Luke said. "Maybe they need each other."

"You may have a point, my love," Rose answered.

He reached to take her hand. "Why didn't I come home sooner? I've missed too much time with you."

"You're here, now."

Bo told Luke about his conversation with Rachel after they turned in for the night. Luke, of course, was aware of Bo's insecurity in that area and listened understandingly.

"C'mon, Bo. Rachel isn't the type of woman to beat you upside the head with her intelligence."

"But it's there all the same. What if she decides I'm too dumb and she'd rather have somebody more educated?"

"You worry too much. It never was a problem with you and Rose, was it?" Luke asked.

"No, but sometimes I got the feeling she was laughing at me when I said something because she knew more about it than I did."

"She probably was, but she never laughed in your face, did she? And you know that sense of humor of hers. Sometimes you never know what she'll think is funny."

"Yeah, and what I think is hilarious makes her roll her eyes," Bo said.

Luke chuckled. "She just thinks you're hilarious in general. You know she lives to pick at you. She said she looks all year for birthday cards for you that are just the right amount of insulting. She's bought a card six months in advance because she found a good one."

"Are you serious? That explains a lot. I always thought she must stay on the lookout for them."

"She does. But Rose worries about you, Bo. She wants you to be happy."

"Yeah, I know she does."

"Look, cousin. Rachel is a good woman. I think this has some potential if you'll just worry less about what she thinks about your intellect and just be yourself."

"What if she doesn't like myself?"

Luke sighed. "I'm tellin' you you're worrying too much. Take this as it comes and just enjoy spending some time with her."

"What happens when we go back home?"

"Good Lord, Bo!" Luke said. "When did you turn into such a worrywart? There's a phone, and e-mail, and I think Rachel's capable of driving to Hazzard, and you can sure come over here when you feel like it."

"O.K., O.K. Let's get some shut-eye."

"Let's do that."

* * *

Rose grumbled the next morning when her cell phone rang.

"It's Del. Look, Brasher and his people are going to hit the sock mill this afternoon when the paychecks go out. We've got Evan and a photographer ready to go when we get the word."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Bat clean-up, which means sit tight for right now. We think you're safe where you are, so stay right there. We'll need you when all this goes to court."

"O.K. Del. I'll be here on my cell if you need me."

"I'll keep you updated. One thing – Brasher tells me they can't get a fix on Safiano, and his people seem to have left Birmingham. Watch your back and keep a low profile."

"I thought you said we were safe here," Rose said.

"As far as we know, you are. They may be on the way back here, but it never hurts to keep your eyes open."

"All right. We'll stay out of sight." She lay back on the bed and groaned. "Shoot! Why can't anything ever go like it's supposed to go?" she said. She got up and peeked into the guys' room. Luke was awake and dressed and she motioned him outside since Bo was still sound asleep.

"Wow," Luke said when Rose told him about her conversation with Del. "So what now?"

"We do what Del said. Sit tight. I'm just hoping Safiano and his crowd aren't already in this area. I mean, they've got a lot of ground to cover, but I sure don't want them sniffing around Mama's and Daddy's house. I'm tempted to go to Decatur and hang around there all day, just to keep those thugs out of here."

"That's an idea. I'm sure Bo won't mind," Luke said with a grin.

"I didn't figure he would. He was awfully quiet on the drive home last night. What's up?"

"Let's go downstairs where we can talk," Luke said.

"Yeah. I'm in desperate need of some caffeine."

Over their breakfast, Luke told Rose about his conversation with Bo the night before. "But don't you let on a minute that I told you this. He's real sensitive about it."

"I won't say a word, but just from a couple of things he's said to me, I kind of knew he felt that way. That's why I've never picked at him about it. I sort of sussed out that was his soft underbelly, so to speak."

"It is. I should have known you'd have figured it out, being psychic and all."

Rose rolled her eyes expressively. "I am NOT psychic! You know I don't believe in all that stuff. I'm a good judge of character and I just know Bo Duke through and through, that's all."

"If you say so," Luke said.

"I do say so," Rose replied, in a tone that brooked no argument.

"You guys up already?" Bo came into the kitchen looking sleepy and very irritable.

"Yep, I got a phone call," Rose said. "Woke me up, so Luke and I came downstairs so we wouldn't disturb you. Want some coffee?"

"Yeah. What was the call about?"

Rose brought him a cup of coffee. "I'll let Luke fill you in. I need to get on the phone again." She ruffled his hair affectionately as she walked out, and he managed a half-smile.

She was gone several minutes and wore a grin when she came back into the kitchen. "Good news for you, sport," she said to Bo. "Rachel has four hours of overtime to burn off and she's off this afternoon. Meantime, you two probably need to go somewhere and get some clothes. I washed yours last night, but you'll probably want something else to wear. I have some things here so I'm O.K."

"I thought they were clean," Luke said. He kissed her. "Thank you, darlin'."

"Yeah, thanks Rose," Bo said.

"You're both welcome. You can drop me off at the newspaper office on your way. Rachel told me the editor said I could use their network to get some things done. I need to send some e-mails and stuff."

When Rose got to the newsroom, Rachel looked up eagerly, then grimaced when she saw Rose was alone.

"Just you, huh?" Rachel said.

"Gee, thanks for the warm welcome," Rose answered.

"Sorry."

"Yeah, I know. Bo tends to have that effect on women."

"He sure does!" Rachel grinned. "Every female in this newsroom has been by my desk to find out who he is. A couple of them recognized him. I am officially the envy of the newsroom."

Rachel was so smug, Rose laughed out loud. "I'm sure you are. Let me go talk to Jean."

The readhead looked over her glasses at Rose. "Well, you sure caused a stir in here yesterday," she said.

"Oh really?" Rose looked confused.

"C'mon. Bringing in not one, but _two_ gorgeous men? The whole place was buzzing. The sports guys knew Bo, of course, and the women, well, they would have waited in line for him, let me tell you!" She chuckled.

"Nosiest places in the world," Rose laughed.

"It's what makes us good at what we do. So what brings you in here solo?"

"I need to brainstorm with someone who's done this stuff. Del called me this morning. The raid is this afternoon. We've got Evan and a photographer out there, so that's covered. But now, what about Safiano and his crew? I mean, he's almost certain to get arrested, but am I going to have to go into witness protection to keep his thugs from targeting me? You've covered Mob stuff before. What am I looking at?"

Jean shook her head. "Don't worry. Even if he's one of their capos, going after the media is pretty much verboten. That just brings a hell of a lot more attention to them, and attention is the last thing they want. Putting a hit out on a reporter is guaranteed to get their names and mugs in the paper. It's got 'stupid' written all over it. And after all, you didn't target them, specifically. The paper was looking at Hughie and he was too dumb to cover up the connection."

"You think Hughie will have to go into the program?"

She thought a moment. "That's a distinct possibility. If he serves any time, he's probably safe while he's in the clink, but after? Different story. All depends on how pissed off Safiano's superiors are, and whether they're pissed more at him or at Hughie. By the time Hughie gets out of jail, they may lose interest. After all, it's not like he cost them a wad in some big city. This is small time for them and they may just decide to cut their losses and leave it. I suspect they'll decide it's not worth the effort to pursue him. He's just not important enough to them."

Rose laughed. "And that's the most unkindest cut of all, because Hughie Hogg lives to be important. But once all this comes out, even if he gets immunity, and he probably will because he'll sell that crowd down the river in a heartbeat, he's finished in Hazzard County, and the Hogg family with him. This could be the best thing that's ever happened to that place."

"May be. I've got a whole folder on RICO cases. You want to look at it?"

"Oh yeah. I need a better understanding of the criteria and penalties." Jean rummaged through a file drawer and found the folder. Rose settled at a vacant desk to read it.

* * *

Bo and Luke were coming out of Target when they saw a familiar-looking SUV. "Hey Luke, is that the Escalade that chased us?" Bo nodded his head in the direction of the vehicle. "Across the parking lot."

Luke just glanced over, so as not to be obvious. "Looks like it, but I've seen two or three in this town. Can you see the plates?"

"Nope. Too far away. Let's get out of sight, though, just in case. There's an enclosed loading dock at the back of the newspaper office. Maybe we can slip into there. They're not looking for this old car."

"No, but they know what I look like. Still, let's just walk real casual and ease out of here. Maybe we can slip out without them spotting us."

"Tell you what," Bo said. "You wait inside the door with our stuff and I'll get the car."

"Good idea." Luke grinned at his cousin. "See? You're not dumb."

Bo snorted. "Thanks. I'll get the car."

Luke waited inside and watched his tall cousin amble over to their vehicle. The parking lot was busy and in his jeans and T-shirt, he blended right in with all the other people. He brought the car up and Luke got in. They left the parking lot, taking the long way around, and hoping they weren't being followed.


	14. Ch 14: Looking for the Checkered Flag

**A/N:** _Now don't fret when you get to the end. There's an epilogue on the way! Please continue to R&R and again, I appreciate it._

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 14: Looking for the Checkered Flag**

"Are they still back there?" Luke asked Bo.

"Yeah. They drop back once in a while, but they're on us."

Luke got on the cell. "Rosie? I think they found us at Target. Get on the horn with the FBI and tell them to meet us at the Courier offices. That loading dock is enclosed so maybe we can hide in there until the cavalry gets here."

"Oh Lord, Luke. Will do. The loading dock, you said? You and Bo be careful, you hear me? Just a sec." He could hear urgent whispers. "Rachel says there's a door to the warehouse from the dock. You should be able to go in there and hide behind the paper rolls. They only weigh about 900 pounds apiece, so they should stop almost anything Safiano's packing. Don't take any crazy chances, though. Just stay low. You hear me, Luke?"

"I hear you, babe. Love you."

"I love you, too." Rose clicked off the phone, nearly in tears. "They're gonna do something stupid and reckless. I just know it." She called Agent Brasher, who assured her that agents were close by and would be at the Courier offices in 10 minutes or less.

Bo and Luke made it to the Courier building as quickly as they could. Bo said, "If ever I _wanted_ to be pulled over for speeding, now's the time." But no one seemed to notice the little Fairmont as they drove – no one except for the passengers in the black Escalade. They were just enough ahead of the vehicle that Bo zipped through a yellow light and made a turn into downtown, buying them a few precious minutes. They drove straight to the Courier's dock and pulled into a corner space. They sprinted for the warehouse door, which thankfully, was unlocked.

Inside it was dim. The pressmen would not come in for another six hours, so the place was deserted. Rolls of paper were stacked three and four deep. Each was 40 inches or so high and bigger around than they could reach. Rose was right. Those paper rolls should be able to stop most anything. They scrambled up behind the massive rolls, and watched the door.

"Just like old times, ain't it?" Bo whispered.

"Yeah, the ones I could have done without," Luke answered. "I'm not 25 anymore. Haven't been in a long time." Bo chuckled a little.

The warehouse door opened. They could see five figures, all obviously armed, scooting through the door.

"Stupid," Luke whispered. "What did they think they were gonna do? Shoot up a public building and walk out scot-free? Idiots."

"That's Safiano in the lead," Bo said. "I recognize him."

"He's just stupid, then," Luke answered. "He's so hot to get us, he's gonna screw up big time."

Bo was eyeing the paper rolls and estimating how much force it would take to topple one to the ground. He nudged Luke and pantomimed it with his hands and grinned. Luke nodded and returned the grin. They eased over to one of the outside rolls and started rocking it gently. As it tipped forward just a bit, both men gave it a mighty push.

One of the thugs looked up about then and screamed. People scattered as the giant paper roll hit the floor with a crash that shook the room. A volley of curses went up, and scattered gunshots filled the room until a voice ordered them to stop.

Bo and Luke huddled behind a four-deep stack of paper and chuckled.

Rose and Rachel had gone back to the pressroom and were looking through a small window into the warehouse. They heard the paper roll fall and laughed when they heard the resulting commotion.

Safiano's voice sounded. "You two don't have to be in this," he said. "We just want that reporter to keep her mouth shut. Promise us you'll shut up and she will, and we'll leave."

"I wasn't born yesterday, Safiano!" That was Luke. "You won't leave us until we're dead and we all know it."

"I don't want to kill anyone," Safiano answered. "I just don't want anyone to go shooting their mouths off to the FBI."

"Sounds real sincere, don't he?" Luke whispered to Bo, who grinned.

Suddenly, a gunshot zinged very close to the window where the women were. Rachel froze and Rose stifled a scream. They hit the ground.

"My crew nearly took that reporter's head off!" Safiano yelled. "You'd better cooperate!"

"Leave her alone!" Luke screamed.

"Where are the feds?" Rachel hissed.

"I wish I knew," Rose answered. "They need to get on over here, though. I told Agent Brasher where they are."

Tense moments passed. Safiano's crew was trying to figure a way up through the stacks, without getting a roll of paper sent down on them. Rose and Rachel were desperately hoping the FBI would arrive. Bo and Luke were hoping the same thing, but both were seething with anger over the shot at Rose and Rachel.

"I don't know who I'm more pissed at," Luke hissed. "Rose for being here to start with, or Safiano for shooting at her."

"Calm down," Bo said. "You'll get your chance at him."

"You're double damned right I will. You've got reason to be pissed, too. What do you want to bet Rachel is right there with Rose?"

Bo nodded. "Probably. I thought about that. I'll hold him. You beat the hell out of him."

"And after that, I'm spanking Rose."

"I wouldn't try. She'd flip you on your butt quicker than snot."

Luke chuckled a little grimly. "You're probably right. I am gonna fuss at her, though."

"Still might get flipped. Be careful. Don't get in arm's reach of her. Or rock-throwing range, for that matter." Both men laughed quietly at that comment.

Suddenly, the warehouse door flew open and a voice said, "FBI! Drop your weapons!"

"Finally," Luke muttered and he and Bo started scrambling down from behind the paper rolls.

Rachel used her key card to get into the warehouse from the pressroom and Rose followed her.

"You!" Safiano screamed. "I said I'd get you when you wrote those stories in Atlanta!" Heedless of the agents, he raised his weapon and fired. It missed, but Luke's heart seemed to stop. Before the agents could return fire, Luke took a risk and jumped on the man from behind and a little above. They went to the ground and Luke turned him over and started pounding his face.

Agents swarmed the room, then, while Rachel was scribbling frantically in her reporter's notebook. Jean had arrived and was also writing as fast as she could. She had snagged a photographer and he was shooting photos left and right. An agent finally dragged Luke off Safiano. His jaw was hanging down – broken.

"That," Luke said, out of breath, "is Rick Safiano. You boys have been looking for him, I think."

Safiano held his jaw, cursing Luke, the feds and luck in general.

The agent looked over at Bo, who was standing, watching Luke, arms folded. "You'd have let him kill Safiano, wouldn't you?"

"Prob'ly not," Bo drawled. "That piece of crap ain't worth going to jail over. But I was gonna let him deliver a good ol' Marine Corps style beat down. And that's what that garbage got." He walked by Safiano. "I'd spit on you, but you ain't worth wastin' good spit on."

Rose was still standing near the doorway to the pressroom, looking shell-shocked. Luke went to her. "Are you all right?" She nodded. "Rose Elizabeth Turney, what in the hell were you doing here? Why didn't you stay in the newsroom?"

"I couldn't be in there, knowing you were out here!" she said.

"Bo threatened to spank your bottom once, but I just might do it," he said.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "Try it, buster. I dare you. Lay a hand on me and see what happens to you." Her tone was cold.

Luke cleared his throat. Bo hadn't been kidding. "No, no. I just didn't want you in here. You could have been killed!" He looked at her. "Rosie, you're not usually that much of a risk-taker. What is it about being around me that makes you take these crazy chances?"

Rose burst into tears. "Because I LOVE you, you idiot man!" She pounded on his chest. "No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to take you away from me while I've got breath in my body! I've loved you for too long! Don't you know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you? Don't you _know_ that?" She started hiccuping and crying and Luke took her hands and folded her against his chest, stroking her hair and murmuring softly to her.

"It's all right, Rosiebelle. I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm right here, sugar." He held her until she calmed down a little.

Bo went to Rachel, who was still writing madly. "Think you can stop scribblin' long enough to pay some attention to me?"

"Hang on a sec," she said, not really hearing him, so intent was she on getting her thought on paper. She looked up to see an amused Bo grinning at her and stopped. "Hi Bo," she said.

He laughed at her. "I thought I might be due a hug or somethin', seein' as how that cousin of yours has done gone to pieces over there. Nobody to hug me and tell me they're glad I'm all right."

"I'll volunteer," Jean deadpanned.

Bo turned the grin on her. "Thanks, hon." He did give her a hug and even Jean the unflappable was a little bowled over by that charm.

"Now how about you?" he turned to Rachel. She went into his arms. Honestly, it was the best feeling in the world. He laughed and she could hear it rumble in his chest. She asked herself again, what _was_ it about this man?

"I am glad you're O.K., Bo."

"Rosie's a wreck," he said.

Rachel looked up into those summer blue eyes. "She's been waiting a lot longer than I have. See, she knew who she was waiting for. I didn't."

Bo raised an eyebrow. "You didn't. Does that mean you know now?"

"Let's say I have a much better idea than I used to."

He nodded. "I can deal with that. I guess we'll be here a while. They'll want to talk to us."

"I know. Jean and I have a story to write."

"Don't you though?" Bo laughed. "Don't you reporters live for days like this?"

"Only if they're not frequent," Jean interjected. "They can be a little trying on your nerves." Her quiet voice was still full of laughter. Rachel smiled in agreement and Bo chuckled again.

"Come on to Rose's folks when you're done," Bo said.

"O.K." She went to go, her mind already going back to her story, when Bo grabbed her hand.

"Forget something?"

"Huh? Oh! You stinker, you," Rachel kissed Bo and hugged him again. He released her and she went back into the newsroom.

Rose was calming down and said she was ready to talk to the agents.

A couple of hours later, they walked out of the Courier's conference room and Rose slipped her arm around Luke. "Sorry I flew at you like that," she said.

He held her closer. "That's O.K. You've had a tough week. I know you didn't mean it."

"Not the idiot part, anyway," Rose replied. "The rest, I absolutely meant."

"You're one of a kind, Rosie," Luke answered. He never had quite known how to respond to the kind of love that had stayed true since Rose was a child. All he could do was accept it as the gift it was and enjoy it, he supposed.

* * *

"Story's in the Courier this morning," Rose said, as she, Luke and Bo prepared to go back to Hazzard. "Front page, above the fold. With inside photos." She slapped the paper on to the table. "And Rachel and Jean share the byline. I know Rachel's tickled." Rose looked over at Bo. "She said she'd be glad to ride back to Hazzard with you for the weekend, by the way."

"That'll be nice," he said, all innocence.

Luke spread the paper out so everyone could read the story.

* * *

**FBI sting nets five**

_Mafia members captured in Courier warehouse_

**By Rachel McCarley and Jean Page**

_Courier Staff Writers_

Five members of an organized crime syndicate were captured Friday afternoon in the Courier warehouse by FBI agents. They were arrested while attempting to abduct a Georgia journalist, her fiancé and his cousin.

FBI agents arrested Richard G. Safiano, 48, of Hazzard, Ga., along with Anthony Cordelio, 33, of Newark, N.J.; Lawrence Torres, 41, of Bronx, N.Y.; Marlon Petraeo, 28, of Syracuse, N.Y. and Rudolfo Fasola of Trenton, N.J.

Rose Turney, 32, of Hazzard, Ga., is a reporter for the Tri-County Herald in Sweetwater, Ga., and one of the potential abductees. She had been helping cover a story concerning the activities of Hazzard city mayor and county commission chairman Hughie P. Hogg. After discovering a possible link between Safiano, Hogg's deputy mayor, and organized crime, she was forced to flee Georgia on Wednesday when allegedly pursued by the suspects.

Her fiancé, Lucas K. Duke, 44, also of Hazzard, was with Turney during her escape, accompanied by his cousin, former NASCAR driver Bo Duke, 40, also a resident of Hazzard. The three took refuge in Turney's parents' Athens home. The Duke cousins were discovered by the suspects at a local shopping center Friday and were pursued to the Courier offices, where the suspects allegedly attempted to abduct them at gunpoint, along with Turney, who met the Dukes in the warehouse. FBI agents were on the scene shortly after the suspects arrived and took all five into custody.

A brief physical altercation between Lucas Duke and Safiano will not result in charges being filed against Duke, FBI sources said.

The U.S. Attorney General's office has charged Safiano with attempted kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, money laundering and numerous other immigration and labor charges related to his alleged activities in Georgia. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office has said further charges may be filed.

Cordelio, Torres, Petraeo and Fasola have each been charged with attempted kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, possession of illegal assault weapons and attempted murder, stemming from their alleged pursuit of Turney, Bo and Lucas Duke.

Morgan County District Attorney George Anderson said he was "glad" to waive prosecution rights for the suspects in favor of the Justice Department pursuing federal charges.

Hogg was being investigated for operating a recently-closed sock mill, and staffing it entirely with undocumented workers. He also faces federal immigration, money laundering and labor charges, but may receive immunity pending his cooperation with federal agents. He has resigned as mayor and county commission chairman and Georgia Gov. Harrison Matthews has appointed former Georgia State Rep. Joseph "Cooter" Davenport as interim mayor and county commission chairman until a special election can be held in December. Hogg is currently in protective custody.

No one was seriously injured in the arrest. Safiano was taken to County General Hospital for a broken jaw and other injuries. He was treated and released.

* * *

"Rachel and Jean did a great job," Rose said. "Definitely a candidate for the spot news category in the Alabama Newspaper Association contest. Everybody in town will be reading this. Rachel told me all the racks are sold clean out of copies."

"Wow. That's great," Luke said.

Rachel came to the door right then and everyone congratulated her on the story. "It _is_ a good looking package, isn't it?" she proudly said.

"Fantastic," Rose answered. "Now I've just got to get started on the court stories. They'll be arraigned in Atlanta on Monday. I can probably skip that one and get the press release from the Justice Department. Once that's out of the way, though, it'll probably be at least six months before the trials, depending on the attorneys. I don't envy Cal Bartlett. He's got his hands full with this one," she said.

"That's good," Luke said. "We have plans for this fall."

"Yeah, we do," Rose answered.

Bo started whistling the first lines of "The Wedding March."

"You sure you don't mind bringing me back home on Monday?" Rachel asked him.

"Not a bit. I'm glad to do it," Bo replied.

The goodbyes were said to Rose's parents and Bo and Luke packed their respective cars and Rose got in the passenger seat of the Mustang. "Take us home, babe," she said.

"Be glad to," he answered and fired up the engine.


	15. Chapter 15: Epilogue

**A/N:** _All good things must come to an end, and here's the end of our story. Thank you all so much for the R&R. However, if you'll notice, I have left the door open for more stories that continue this timeline, and there are more background stories yet to be told, if anyone is interested in reading them. I have enjoyed writing this and hope you all have enjoyed reading it!_

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Dukes of Hazzard."

* * *

**Chapter 15: Epilogue**

"Have you found anything yet, Rose?" That was Daisy.

"Possibilities, but nothing that really gets me," she answered. "I've got to find a dress somewhere, though. The date is coming up."

"Come on over to the farm. I've been rootin' around in the attic and I found Grandma Ellen Duke's old cedar chest. I knew it was up here, and I've run across something you need to see."

"All right." Rose's curiosity was fired. With Bo and Luke at some junkyard, somewhere, on their eternal search for car parts, Daisy had the house to herself.

"Hey Daisy!" Rose called. Daisy trotted halfway down the stairs.

"Hey Rose! Come on up to my room. You've got to see this. You won't believe it!"

"What is it?"

"Just come on up!" Daisy said.

Rose went into Daisy's old bedroom, which was where her girls usually slept now when they stayed at the farm, and hanging on the closet door was an exquisite white gown. Rose stopped short. "Where in the world did that come from?" she asked.

"Grandma Ellen's cedar chest. This was her wedding dress," Daisy answered.

"Wow!" Rose examined the gown and whistled. "This is pure silk!" she exclaimed. "But they got married in 1930! Nobody around here – or anywhere much – had that kind of money in 1930."

Daisy smiled. "Let me tell you a little more Duke family history. _I_ know this part. Uncle Jesse told me. Grandma Ellen was quite a bit younger than Grandpa Duke. You knew that, though. But, she was also from one of the first families in Atlanta and they had money. Great-great-great grandpa Lawrimore had invested in the railroads before secession and he kept his money."

"That makes sense. He's one of the few who did."

"I know it. Anyway, Grandma Ellen's mama and daddy did not approve of Grandpa Duke. He was too old, too broke and not of the right 'family' to suit them. Great-great grandma Lawrimore liked Grandpa, though, and as long as Grandma Ellen was happy, it didn't matter to her who Grandma Ellen married. And Grandma Ellen didn't give a hoot about 'family' in that way. She loved Grandpa. Anyway, the family pretty much disowned Grandma Ellen, but her grandmother gave her this wedding dress. It was tailor-made in New York City."

"Holy smoke," Rose said. "What a story! Why in the world didn't you wear it at your wedding, Daisy?"

"I'm way too tall. It was five or six inches too short for me, and it was too big, anyway. Grandma Ellen was more your size, so I thought, if I could find it, I'd let you try it on."

"It wouldn't bother anyone if I wore it?" Rose didn't want to ruffle any feathers.

"Gracious, no! Grandma Ellen would be tickled to death! Her girls were like all the Dukes: tall and skinny. Uncle Jesse said that Bo's daddy looked just like Grandpa Duke when he was young. And Bo looks like his daddy, so there you go. Uncle Jesse said I was made just like my Mama. So the dress didn't fit either of the girls. And Grandma Ellen doted on Luke. Spoiled him stinkin' rotten, Uncle Jesse said. So she would be thrilled the woman marrying Luke was wearing her dress."

Rose grinned. "That's sweet. Well, let's try it on! See if I can get into it." She did have her doubts. The dress was a cream silk organdie over a solid silk underdress, cut on the bias. The flutter sleeves were lace and the same lace adorned the V-neckline and hem of the underdress. Rose examined it carefully. "Good Lord!" she said.

"What is it?"

"This lace is handwork. It looks like Brussels lace."

"What's that?" Daisy asked.

"It's rare and expensive. Even if it's hand worked English lace, it's still expensive."

"You'd better see the veil, then," Daisy answered. She brought out a length of veiling that made Rose's jaw drop.

She took the veil. "Silk tulle. Oh, my Lord. My mama is going to faint when she sees this. And the same lace is trimming the veil. Does it have a headpiece?"

"Grandma Ellen wore it with a flower wreath. I'll hunt up the picture so you can see it."

"Yeah, I want to. Daisy," Rose turned to the woman, "I don't know if I can wear this. It's just so beautiful. I'd hate for something to happen to it!"

"You hush! Nothing is going to happen to it. Try it on, now. I've been itching to see if it will fit you!"

"O.K." Rose took the dress and went to the bathroom with it. She came out several minutes later. "How does it look?"

Daisy sighed with happiness. "Oh Rose, it looks like it was made just for you! Here, there's a full-length mirror inside the closet door." She draped the veiling over Rose's head. "Take a look," she said.

Rose stared at the figure in the mirror. She had been afraid the cut of the dress would make her look dumpy, but it did just the opposite. The designer was a master of the art. She looked tall, and almost willowy. "I don't recognize myself," she said.

"You look beautiful, Rose. Just beautiful. If you wear this, you will knock Luke's socks off, I guarantee."

"I wonder if anyone outside Atlanta could clean this dress and do it right," Rose mused.

"Yeah. There's a place in Cartersville that does it. If we take it next Saturday, they should have it for you middle of the week. I'd be glad to go pick it up," Daisy answered.

"You're such a dear," Rose said. "Thank you. I never really thought something like this was what I was looking for, but it was. Now I just have to find some shoes! Don't guess a pair came with the dress and veil did they?"

Daisy laughed. "Unfortunately, no. But that salon in Cartersville might have something. They have different-looking kinds of wedding accessories. We can look when we take the dress in."

"Sounds like fun," Rose said.

"When are the boys due back?"

Rose shrugged. "Who knows? They're in a junkyard, somewhere. That's all I know. Luke called me early this morning before they left and said they'd be gone all day." She glanced at her watch. "It's only two o'clock. Want to go on to Cartersville today with the dress?"

"Sure! I'll just call Enos. His mama has the kids today, and he can pick them up when he gets off. This is going to be so much fun!"

"Ever think about being a wedding planner, as well as you like them?" Rose asked.

"You know, I have," Daisy answered. "I'm happy as I can be when I'm knee-deep in wedding plans – for me or anybody else!"

Rose laughed. "Let's get this dress packed up. The sooner it's cleaned and back here, the better I'll feel about it."

One trip to Cartersville and a pair of square-tongued, bow-tied satin shoes with sculpted heels and a veil headpiece later, and Rose was well satisfied. "That's a great shop. They do have a lot of different things. And weren't those pretty bridesmaids gowns? Actually something you'd wear again!" she enthused.

"Oh, I know. I had my eye on that black shantung suit. I may go put it on layaway," Daisy said.

"That reminds me. Bo owns a tux, doesn't he?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. I'll have to look for it and get it cleaned. Luke has one, too. I'll have to look for both of them. They'll probably need new dress shirts, but we can get those."

"And I'm thinking black silk neckties rather than bowties."

Daisy pondered this. "Mmm. Yeah. I think so, too. It's an afternoon wedding, so neckties would be fine."

"Do you think we could possibly get Bo into a pair of black dress shoes?"

"For you, yeah, he'd do it, I think."

* * *

Autumn days didn't come much prettier in the South than that first Saturday in November. The sun was shining for all it was worth, the wind was mostly calm and the temperature was mild. The leaves had finished turning and the whole countryside was awash in gold, red, yellow and orange.

"It's a perfect day," Shirley Turney told her daughter.

"It is, Mama. We couldn't have asked for a better day."

"And I can't believe you found that dress, Daisy. It is just gorgeous."

"Oh, I'm so glad I did, Ms. Shirley. I was tickled when it turned up." She looked over at Rachel, who was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. "And when Rachel and Bo tie the knot, she can wear it," Daisy said archly.

Rachel chuckled. "That may be a while, Daisy. Bo hasn't asked and he's as skittish as an old tomcat."

"Give it time," was Daisy's sage answer. "Just give it time."

"Help me with my veil, Mama," Rose said.

"It's so pretty, I'm about afraid to touch it," Shirley said. "But this half-wreath headpiece just sets it off." She helped adjust the headpiece and draped the veiling attractively.

Rachel sighed. "Rose, you're a picture."

Rose chuckled wryly. "You didn't say a picture of what," she returned.

"It's about time to start. Let me go get your Daddy," Shirley said.

Antioch Church had an old sanctuary. The walls were dark panel halfway up, with cream plaster to the top. The sun shone through the stained glass windows, creating a soft, pastel light.

Luke and Bo stood at the altar with the pastor. Luke was trying to stay calm. Bo was fidgeting. "Stop twitching," Luke said to him.

"Can't help it," was the response.

"You got the ring?"

Bo nodded. "In my pocket."

The organist struck up the processional, "The Trumpet Voluntary," which Rose had chosen in place of the traditional wedding march. Rachel came in, wearing a burgundy, tea-length dress. She carried a bouquet of pink and white sweetheart roses. Bo's mouth dropped open when he saw her, and he briefly wondered if the preacher was up to performing a double wedding that day. She smiled at him and took her place on the opposite side of the altar. The congregation stood and Rose and her daddy came down the aisle. A trick of the light made it look like the sun followed her into the church, and it was Luke's turn to be stunned. Where in the world had that dress come from? His mouth suddenly went dry and he swallowed.

"Wow," Bo murmured and Luke nodded.

As Rose walked down the aisle, she was looking for his reaction and it was all she hoped for. His look of wonderment was what every bride wants to see on her groom's face. Rachel glanced over at Luke, grinned at Rose and gave her a quick wink. Daisy, who was standing in the back, as the wedding director, was nearly dancing at the sight.

The vows were said, rings were exchanged and when Luke kissed his bride, the congregation applauded. They walked down the aisle and when they got into the vestibule, Luke said, "You are beautiful. Where did that dress come from?"

"Daisy found it. It was Grandma Ellen Duke's dress. You look pretty handsome yourself. You wear a tux very well," she answered.

"Not nearly as well as you wear that dress, though. Wow."

Bo and Rachel had reached the vestibule and he looked at Rose. "I thought Luke was gonna fall over when he saw you, Rosie-roo." He took her hands. "That dress is incredible."

"It was Grandma Ellen Duke's wedding dress."

"Is that so? Well, well. It's something else." He kissed Rose's forehead. "I guess you'll be around to pick at me from now on," he teased.

"Wouldn't miss it," she answered.

* * *

Divi Beach was wide and the sand was soft. Rose sat under her umbrella with a book and enjoyed the bright Aruba sun from the shade. Luke, on the other hand, was busy baking his brains on the beach towel. Rose nudged him with her toe.

"Mmm?" he said.

"You reckon Bo will ever get around to proposing to Rachel?" she asked.

That got a lazy chuckle. "Eventually. Daisy says it's a sure thing and she's got a pretty good track record, when it comes to wedding predictions."

"Yeah." Rose raised her sunglasses. "You're going to broil like a lobster," she said.

Luke craned his neck around so he could see his back. "Not too bad. I don't burn, anyway. I tan."

"Must be nice," his wife answered. "You know I can burn in the time it takes us to walk back to the room."

"Yeah." He looked out across the beach. "Isn't that water pretty?"

"It is. It's the color of jade."

He looked over at Rose. "It's a beautiful world," he said.

"Mmm-hmm." She nudged him again. "And once in a while, dreams do actually come to reality."

Luke just grinned at her.


End file.
